About the Center to Eliminate Health Disparities

The UCLA School of Public Health Center to Eliminate Health Disparities (CEHD) focuses on eliminating disparities in the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of disease in a wide-range of population groups.  CEHD concentrates on “keeping the public healthy” by targeting health promotion and disease prevention as well as access to timely and high-quality care for those who are ill. 

CEHD is a collaborative “center without walls” that includes members from academia, government, foundations and private/non-profits investigates.  Targeting underserved groups, it promotes population-based intervention approaches to health promotion and disease prevention and control .  In addition, the Center explores the barriers preventing more effective collaboration with local health departments and other key partners engaged in the practice of public health.

Officially launched in October of 2005, CEHD aims to advance understanding of health disparities across the lifespan and foster multidisciplinary research to improve the health of underserved communities. With a primary focus on Los Angeles County, and a secondary, more limited focus on Orange County, CEHD facilitates community and academic partnerships in research, trains new investigators in health disparities research and assists community partners to implement effective programs to reduce disparities.

While expanding on its early focus to strengthen linkages and create opportunities for community and academic development, CEHD will  focus over the next several years on:

• Enhancing its infrastructure;

• Broadening its efforts to engage public and private agencies and organizations in training, translation and dissemination activities;

• Mobilizing organizations in support and development of relevant local, county and statewide policy change.

Our Staff

Roshan Bastani, PhD - Co Director
Professor and Associate Dean for Research

Antronette (Toni) Yancey, MD, MPH - Co Director
Professor, Department of Health Services

Alexander (Alex) Ortega, PhD - Associate Director

Associate Professor, Department of Health Services

Joyce Jones Guinyard, DC - Administrative Director

Director of Community Relations

Our Sponsors

The Center was started with generous donations from Tom Epley, Linnae Anderson, Ralph and Shirley Shapiro, and a grant from the California Endowment. 

You too can support the work of the CEHD by making a gift to the UCLA School of Public Health.