Center for Health Disparities Research

Founded in 2005, the Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR) at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a leader in addressing racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in health. Through innovative research, education, training, and community outreach, the CHDR aims to understand and eliminate these inequities, particularly in underserved populations.

South Carolina faces unique health challenges, especially in its rural areas, where access to care is limited, and chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and mental illness are prevalent. Charleston, South Carolina, where the CHDR is based, mirrors national and global disparities, offering the center a critical opportunity to investigate the root causes of healthcare inequities.

Research within the CHDR focuses on three main areas:

• Health Disparities: Interventions at the patient, provider, and health systems levels to reduce or eliminate racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic differences in quality of care and health outcomes.
• Rural Health: Novel interventions to improve health care delivery and health outcomes for rural dwelling residents.
• Disease Prevention: Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic diseases in diverse populations.

In addition to research, CHDR is committed to fostering the next generation of health disparities researchers through training programs and community outreach efforts that promote practical solutions to improve care for all.

Who We Are:

CHDR’s multidisciplinary team includes faculty, research nurses, biostatisticians, and program assistants, alongside medical and graduate students participating in short-term programs designed to inspire future health disparities researchers.

Under the leadership of Interim Director Dr. William Moran, the CHDR continues to advance its mission to bridge the gap in healthcare access and outcomes through groundbreaking research and education.

Our Vision

Continue our work as a recognized center of research excellence in understanding and eliminating health disparities, while magnifying our impact at the local, national, and international levels. 

Our Values

• Ethics: We promote the highest standards of ethics, honesty, and integrity in all aspects of work.
• Health: The breadth of our multidisciplinary research agenda reflects a view of health influenced from individual, sociocultural, environmental, political, and economic perspectives.
• Scientific Rigor: We strive to achieve excellence in all phases of our work and continually improve and tailor programs and practices based on new knowledge.
• Partnership: The most effective research combines researchers with community, organizational, and governmental partners to identify and address health problems. With each partner, we develop a research agenda and processes that are mutually acceptable and responsive to the partnership's needs and characteristics.
• Collaboration: We believe that complex health questions require the consideration of multiple perspectives. Our research, therefore, involves collaborations across many disciplines within MUSC, with other research institutions, and broad partnerships outside academia.
• Translation: One of our objectives is to translate research findings to help communities develop health interventions that are practical in the real world.