Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the CDH?
A. The CDH serves as a resource for the School of Medicine and Public Health by creating an environment supportive of diverse faculty, staff, and students. We are committed to:- developing culturally competent research, education, and training programs;
- identifying pathways to eliminate health disparities among minority and vulnerable populations; and
- adopting interdisciplinary approaches to improving health outcomes through the formation of strategic partnerships among academia, government, and communities in Wisconsin and beyond.
Q. Does the CDH offer any funding support to those interested in pursuing minority health/health disparities research, education/training, and/or community partnership building initiatives?
A. The CDH has limited funding available to support such initiatives. However, we have provided pilot research project funding to our affiliates, as possible. The CDH welcomes opportunities to assist with locating state, federal and private sources of funding, including the National Institutes of Health and The Wisconsin Partnership Fund for a Healthy Future, which funds Community-Academic Partnership Planning and Implementation grants.
Q. Whom at the CDH should I contact if I would like assistance with developing a research, education/training or community partnership protocol?
A. It depends to some extent on the type of assistance you are seeking. Please review our Staff Profiles to determine if a particular staff person’s expertise matches your needs. You can also use the CDH general information email (cdh@hslc.wisc.edu) to contact us for assistance.
Q. What data does the CDH currently have available?
A. The CDH has developed a comprehensive data system to maintain, process, and analyze large volumes of health research data, as well as to disseminate findings and reports to its affiliates and other partners. Our data system is capable of storing various types of population-based and health-related data essential to community-academic partnership projects and other public health initiatives throughout the state.
The current system contains several major national and statewide data sources, including:- The Wisconsin Family Health Survey (FHS), a statewide random-sample telephone survey of all household residents, including children. The FHS provides estimates of health status, insurance status, chronic disease prevalence, activity limitation, use of health care services, and other factors related to health among Wisconsin people of all ages. CDH has the entire FHS data set since 1989.
- The Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS), a representative, statewide telephone survey of Wisconsin household residents aged 18 and older. The WI BRFS is also part of the national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is coordinated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDH has most of the core modules of the BRFS data available from CDC. Some of the state modules are available upon request.
- CDH also collects and analyzes general census information from Census 2000 Summary Files, birth and death information from Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH), socio-economic information from the American Community Survey (ACS), and overall population change data from the Current Population Survey (CPS).
If you are looking for data to enhance your research, teaching, training and/or community-based initiative focused on minority health and/or health disparities, please contact our Data Analyst/Manager.
Q. What is the definition of a “health disparity”?
A. Please visit the our Common Terms and Definitions page for a definition of this and other relevant terms.
Q. What types of specific research projects does CDH conduct?
A. Within the CDH, we currently have research projects examining teen pregnancy and infant health, adolescent mental health, and cancer screening among Native American communities. Our affiliates have research programs that span a broad range of interests.
Q. How can community-based organizations connect with CDH?
A. Please contact us at cdh@hslc.wisc.edu to explore shared interests and opportunities to partner around minority health/health disparities.
Q. Does CDH provide funding to community-based organizations (CBOs)?
A. Not directly. However, the CDH has successfully partnered with CBOs to procure funding for CBOs via the Wisconsin Partnership Program’s Community-Academic Partnership Fund. For more information, please contact us at cdh@hslc.wisc.edu.
Q. Does CDH provide training in diversity/multicultural/cultural competence issues?
A. The CDH provides technical assistance to faculty and staff in the SMPH interested in developing new curricular content on intercultural communication, a fundamental skill set for culturally competent care providers. We anticipate offering diversity/multicultural/cultural competence training and related strategic planning technical assistance in the near future.
SMPH faculty who are interested in integrating multicultural content into their courses are encouraged to contact Shohbina Chheda, MD, UW SMPH Director of Diversity Curriculum.
Q. In what ways can a UW student connect with CDH?
A. The CDH has successfully partnered with UW students seeking technical assistance (research design, literature reviews, data sources, etc.) to develop minority health/health disparity-related research or other school projects. Additionally, we have assisted student organizations with identifying resources for research funding and/or sponsorship for minority health/health disparity-related professional development opportunities. To learn more, please contact us at cdh@hslc.wisc.edu.
Q. In what ways can a UW faculty member or scientist connect with CDH?
A. We are always seeking new research affiliates with interests in initiating, maintaining, or enhancing portfolios of research focused on minority health/health disparities. Also, junior affiliates are in need of senior researchers/scientists willing to review draft research proposals and act as mentors.
We also welcome opportunities to work with instructors interested in enhancing their teaching/training skills in the classroom, particularly with regard to minority health, health disparities, and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate care. To learn more, please contact us at cdh@hslc.wisc.edu.
Q. Does CDH conduct work internationally?
A. No, the CDH does not conduct work internationally.
Q. How can faculty and researchers from other universities connect with CDH?
A. Several of our affiliated investigators are from institutions other than UW-Madison. These individuals lend insight and expertise to our programming, and also offer access to minority health/health disparities research protocols not currently available at UW-Madison. In exchange, our affiliates have access to our Center resources, staff, and our quarterly newsletter. If you are interested in affiliating with the CDH, visit our Affiliation page to learn more.
Q. Is CDH interested in health disparities nationally or just within Wisconsin?
A. The CDH is primarily focused on minority health and health disparities in the state of Wisconsin. However, some of our affiliates are located in other areas of the country. Also, because the CDH is home to a federally funded EXPORT Center (from the NCMHD), we are connected to a national network of more than 60 centers focused on health disparities in their own communities.
Q. How is the CDH similar to/different from the Multicultural Affairs Office in the SMPH?
A. The Multicultural Affairs Office (located on the 2nd floor of the HSLC) is under the Direction of the Assistant Dean for Multicultural Affairs and is primarily concerned with the successful recruitment, retention, and development of minority students interested in professional careers in medicine and public health.
The CDH, under the Direction of the Associate Dean for Cultural Diversity, is similarly focused on recruitment, retention and professional development of junior and/or minority faculty investigators interested in minority health and health disparities research. To learn more, visit our About Us page.
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