Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research

What Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research does

The Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research (CHPIR) is an academic research center at Duke University founded in 1981 by David Eddy, the mathematician-physician credited with creating the first methodology for evidence-based medicine. Headquartered on the third floor of Trent Hall on Duke's West Campus in Durham, NC, the center conducts interdisciplinary health policy and health disparities research addressing population-based health, health systems, and health intervention evaluation. Its core technology consists of mixed-methods research design, longitudinal cohort studies (including an 18+ year clergy health panel and a 20-year multi-country study of orphaned children), resilience science models (Stress and Resilience Cascade Models, Discrete Choice Experiment methodology), and rigorous intervention evaluation including randomized controlled trials.

The center's active portfolio comprises approximately 15 select research programs and policy initiatives, including the Duke Clergy Health Initiative, Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) spanning Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania, Project Uplift for LGBTQ+ young adults in NC, the Hep ART integrated alcohol-HCV treatment trial with Duke/UNC/Durham VA, the BASIC mental health task-sharing program in Kenya, the RISE mHealth intervention for transgender women in Brazil, and Duke Teen Health Club. Each program is organized around one of CHPIR's five proprietary resilience frameworks covering clergy well-being, orphaned youth, teen pregnancy prevention, structural resilience to minority stress, and LGBTQI+/SGM persons.

CHPIR operates as a grant-funded academic unit rather than a commercial enterprise, generating no product or service revenue. Its sole revenue stream is research grants and contracts from federal agencies (SAMHSA, NC DHHS), foundations, and international funding bodies including a collaboration with India's NITI Aayog. It serves four primary beneficiary populations: marginalized and vulnerable populations (LGBTQ+, orphaned youth, refugees), clergy and caregivers, children and adolescents, and global low- and middle-income communities. Research activities span 12 country locations across the US, Central America, South America, East Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Name

Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research

Legal name

Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research at Duke University

Website

https://chpir.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research is a Duke University academic research center founded in 1981 that conducts interdisciplinary health policy and health disparities research. It serves marginalized populations globally through ~15 longitudinal research programs and proprietary resilience science models, funded by government and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Health Policy Research

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Equity, Access & Social Determinants Programs (BPAIAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK), Sexual & Reproductive Health & Family Planning (SRH/FP) Programs (BPADAIAD), Maternal, Child & Family Health Departments (HLAJAAAK)

Keywords

• Health policy research
• Health disparities research
• Population health studies
• Resilience science research
• Intervention evaluation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Contracts: The center operates primarily through competitive research grants and contracts from federal agencies (SAMHSA, NC DHHS), foundations, and international funding bodies to conduct health policy and health disparities research.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CHPIR conducts multi-disciplinary health policy and health disparities research, designs and evaluates evidence-based interventions, and produces longitudinal cohort studies on topics including clergy well-being, orphaned children, teen pregnancy prevention, LGBTQ+ health, and minority stress. The center translates research into services, policy recommendations, and new interventions for marginalized populations domestically and internationally.

Product overview

The Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research (CHPIR) at Duke University is a research center that serves as an instigator and facilitator of health policy and health disparities research. Rather than a single product, CHPIR offers a portfolio of research programs and initiatives focused on population-based health research, health systems research, and health intervention and evaluation research. The portfolio includes major initiatives such as the Duke Clergy Health Initiative, Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO), Duke Teen Health Club, and Project Uplift, among approximately 15 select projects. These programs are organized around core resilience models addressing topics including clergy well-being, orphaned youth, teen pregnancy prevention, minority stress, and LGBTQ+ health. CHPIR's work spans multiple geographic locations including the US, El Salvador, Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The SMILE Study
• Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) A multi-country longitudinal study examining the influence of residential characteristics, caregiver characteristics, and culture on orphaned and separated children's behavior, emotional adjustment, health status, learning outcomes, and relationship outcomes in Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania.
• Teacher Wellbeing Study A study examining individual and contextual factors that may transform and sustain teacher wellbeing in a multi-country context spanning Qatar, Kenya, and Cambodia.
• Adult Gender Medicine Registry A multisite prospective registry framework to assess short- and long-term risks and benefits of gender affirming hormone therapies and surgeries on the physical and psychological well-being of transgender and gender non-conforming adult patients.
• Caregiver Flourishing An interdisciplinary cross-cultural study understanding pathways for sustaining flourishing mental health among caregivers of orphans in India, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Cambodia across four religious traditions.
• Duke Clergy Health Initiative An initiative to understand and improve the holistic health of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina, including metabolic syndrome and depression interventions tested in randomized controlled trials with over 1,100 clergy.
• Duke Teen Health Club An initiative providing comprehensive sexuality education to youth in North Carolina through projects funded by NC DHHS Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives, utilizing evidence-based CDC best practice interventions.
• Coping Together An intervention development project delivered by lay providers to reduce conflict and improve problem-solving, connection, and supportiveness within families experiencing relationship distress.
• DCE-IMPACT A study using Discrete Choice Experiment methodology to identify HIV testing preferences and evaluate a preference-based HIV counseling and testing intervention's effect on testing uptake in Tanzania.
• RISE Study A study adapting and testing a mobile health intervention to improve violence reporting, mental health needs identification, and referral to care among transgender women in Brazil.
• National Evaluation of Quality of Child Care in El Salvador An evaluation examining whether changes in institutional structure, caregiver knowledge, and caregiver health impact child outcomes in El Salvador, conducted with Whole Child International.
• BASIC (Building and Sustaining Interventions for Children) A project evaluating the scaling-up of task sharing for delivery of mental health care for orphaned children in Kenya through partnerships with education and health government sectors.
• PREP for Youth in Out of Home Care An evidenced-based program facilitating positive youth development and preventing teen pregnancy and HIV/STI transmission among adjudicated adolescents ages 10-19 in North Carolina.
• Project Uplift A SAMHSA-funded project focusing on improving health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people ages 18-35 in Charlotte and Durham, NC by reducing barriers and offering affirming mental health and substance use services.
• To Heal The Wounded Soul A program providing restorative retreats, peer support, and positive mental health models for BIPOC clergy affected by the pandemic, assessing changes in job satisfaction, burnout, and mental health symptoms.
• Hep ART A randomized controlled trial testing an integrated model of alcohol treatment for persons with co-occurring Hepatitis C and alcohol use, partnering with Duke, UNC, and Durham VA Liver Clinics.
• Cultivating Mindful Resilience A project focused on co-developing culturally salient mental health interventions for LGBTQ+ individuals in culturally Buddhist countries, building community partnership capacity in Cambodia with later engagement in Vietnam and Thailand.
• Global Health Needs Among Refugee Children in Durham County A pilot project developing a culturally appropriate healthcare model to help reduce health disparities among refugee children in Durham, NC.
• Monitoring & Evaluation Assessment of Child Care Institutions Across India An assessment supporting the adaptation of the WCI-QCUALS tool to an Indian residential care context for children and young adults ages 6-18.
• Clergy Well-Being Model A resilience model based on 18 years of research on United Methodist clergy in North Carolina, identifying factors related to mental distress and positive mental health outcomes.
• Orphaned and Separated Youth Resilience Model A resilience model to well-being based on the 20-year Positive Outcomes for Orphans multi-country study informing interventions for orphaned and separated youth.
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention Resilience Model A model creating adolescent resilience through comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention interventions within a positive youth development framework.
• Structural Resilience to Minority Stress Model A model enhancing wellness for LGBTQIA+ and HIV communities by integrating social-ecological and minority stress models with structural resilience factors.
• LGBTQI+ / SGM Persons Resilience Framework A resilience conceptual framework for research with LGBTQI+ or sexual and gender minority persons examining biological, societal, and intervention factors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tested interventions with over 1,100 clergy in randomized controlled trial designs
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Whole Child International (WCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Whole Child International to examine the impact of institutional structure, caregiver knowledge and practices, and caregiver health on child outcomes. Collaboration on WCI-QCUALS assessment tool adaptation for residential care contexts in India.
• NITI Aayog (National Institute of Transforming India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on adaptation of WCI-QCUALS to Indian-specific residential care context for children ages 6-18, working with Hope Institute to test assessment tools across different Indian states.
• Duke University Medical Center and UNC and Durham VA Liver ClinicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-institutional partnership for Hep ART study testing integrated model of alcohol treatment for persons with co-occurring HCV and alcohol use, including Duke, UNC, and Durham VA Liver Clinics.
• NC DHHS (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFunded partner for teen pregnancy prevention initiatives including PREP grants, Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (AP3), and Eastern North Carolina Health Education for Adolescents Lives (ENC-HEAL).
• Other Academic Institutions (US-based)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with other academic institutions in the US for Gender Medicine Registry project establishing framework for large, multisite prospective registry for transgender and gender non-conforming patients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DukeCHPIR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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