The CHER Institute is proudly offered a program aiming to enhance the readiness of early career faculty at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to conduct community-based, social and health behavior research and to increase their representation among National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded investigators for six years. The following are videos and details on programing from the first six years of the CHER Institute. 

Beginning in June 2020, CHER Institute moved to an online format: In previous years, faculty from across the U.S. would convene at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) to participate in the six-day, intensive research training experience. Due to concerns over COVID-19, the 2020 CHER Institute adapted to a different model. Because the safety of all participants is important to us, the 2020, 2021 & 2022 CHER Institutes were held in a virtual space. 

Participants still received mentorship by a team of nationally-recognized social and health behavior research experts, including webinars to provide additional training to faculty participants and others who are interested in health equity research. With the online model, our team created web portals and used Zoom seminars and breakout rooms to achieve the same goals. 

2022 Institute Fellows and Mentors

2021 Institute Fellows and Mentors

2020 Institute Fellows and Mentors

The CHER Institute Experience

During the six-day, intensive research training Institute, our fellows received mentorship by a team of nationally-recognized social and health behavior research experts.

Here is a sample of a daily agenda:

Former Institute Fellows can attest to the valuable experiences and tools for success they attribute to the CHER Institute:

When the Institute was in-person in 2019, CSULB President Dr. Jane Close Conoley welcomed our new cohort of researchers from across the country. As the former Dean at Texas A&M, Dr. Conoley recalled starting what was then called the Center for Health Disparities, and how the field has changed, yet the challenges remain.

She spoke about how the work being done by diverse, interdisciplinary groups exactly like the CHER Institute represents the "future of the field", and how even in a progressive modern city of nearly a half million residents like Long Beach, California the research and policy implications for "health disparity issues are tremendous."

CSULB Provost Brian Jersky also provided greetings to the new cohort of researchers. Provost Jersky recognized the persistent levels of inequity here in the U.S. and highlighted the importance of health research as a vessel to promote change within the community. He commended participants for dedicating their professional careers to this work, which he values as “truly noble.”

In previous years, CSULB College of Health and Human Services Dean Dr. Monica Lounsbery also spoke to the group of visiting scholars. While the focus of the Institute as a whole centers on educating and empowering new researchers to secure NIH funding, Dr. Lounsbery also stressed the importance of interdisciplinarity:

“As you'll learn, it's really important to understand the focus of your work and how you may serve as a team member not only for your own research but as a connector for others as well. So it's really important to use this opportunity fully, and I really am excited that you're having a lot of opportunity for dialogue and interaction.”

Dr. Lounsbery talked about how this approach echoes President Conoley’s initiatives across campus:

“No Barriers. Closing the Gap. And a really growth mindset. This whole workshop is about professional development, and even those of us who are participating as instructors are learning every day. So I hope that you adopt the idea that mentorship is important… it's important to think about that across the trajectory of your career. Because I really believe that's what sustains high level successful careers over a lifetime.”

Prior CHER Institutes 

The CHER Institute is comprised of plenary sessions, seminars, small group science chats, mentoring activities, and peer review and networking sessions designed to increase the number of early career faculty members who are better prepared to become NIH principal investigators in the field of community-based health equity research; and to increase the quantity and quality of health equity research targeting vulnerable ethnic minority populations developed by CHER Institute participants.

Plenary session topics include:

• Components of an NIH application and review process
• Responsible conduct and ethics in research particularly in engaging minors in health equity research
• Integrating theory for culturally sensitive intervention research
• Engaging ethnic, sexual, and gender minorities in health disparities research
• Research process including quantitative and qualitative methods and analysis
• Innovations in research, community engagement, and community-based research
• Overcoming institutional and logistical challenges

Feedback from the CHER Institute I fellows was overwhelmingly positive. Fellows shared that they were equipped with new ideas and motivation to pursue their own research endeavors. High appreciation was given to the diversity of research experiences of the faculty mentors and of program deliverables, which included a Specific Aims Page to be used as a foundation for future proposals. The CHER Institute I provided a valuable learning experience for them and a large majority would recommend the institute to their colleagues.

Click on a title below for a behind-the-scenes look at each past Institute!

2021 CHER Institute Mentors, Staff, and Fellows:

2020 CHER Institute Mentors, Staff, and Fellows:

2019 CHER Institute Mentors and Fellows:

2018 CHER Institute Mentors and Fellows:

2017 CHER Institute Mentors and Fellows:

The Center for Health Equity Research also hosted a webinar series for research training and professional development, following the first CHER Institute in 2017. Below you will find information on the past webinar hosts and topics, and the learning objectives.

Learning objectives:
Increased knowledge on the purpose of the data analysis section;
what to consider including in the data analysis section;
the importance of linking the theoretical concepts to the analyses.

Learning objectives:
Increased knowledge on different ways of seeking opportunities to engage in NIH level research;
tips for building your research career thinking outside the box;
Strategies for networking and building a supportive team to achieve your professional goals.

Learning objectives:
A compelling journey of pursuing NIH funded research;
Tips for mitigating barriers and challenges to attaining funding as an underrepresented researcher;
Strategies for networking and building a supportive team to achieve your professional goals.

Learning objectives:
The importance of CBPR for understanding the needs of marginalized communities;
Some best practices for leading CBPR; How to engage marginalized communities in CBPR with purpose (considering COVID-19);
How to disseminate the CBPR findings across multiple mediums to make an impact.

Learning objectives:
Increased knowledge on the purpose and importance of translational research;
Ways for framing translational research in an NIH proposal;
Tips for mitigating barriers and challenges to attaining funding for translational research.

Learning objectives:
Describe several different recruitment strategies to consider during COVID;
Identify appropriate social media/online strategies based on level of staffing, time, skill, and funds;
Identify various social media/online platforms to consider for targeted recruitment efforts.