Community Health

As a premier public, urban research university, we have a responsibility to leverage and align the expertise of the university with strengths of the community to address issues related to the health and well-being of our region. The Community Health Pathway serves as a crossing point between the University of Cincinnati and the community to help build health solutions and build a diverse workforce that will improve the lives of Cincinnati residents. We work across the university to advance health and well-being in the Greater Cincinnati region through funding opportunities, programs, and events that are designed to facilitate community collaboration and partnership. 

To improve the health of our community.

To utilize the tripartite missions of education, research, and clinical care and leverage the resources of the University of Cincinnati to lower the cancer burden and improve the health of our community.

• Expand the healthcare, bioscience, and public health workforce
• Grow research profile in cancer in our quest toward NCI designation
• Enhance cancer care in the community
• Close health gaps in the community

As urban living becomes the predominant influence for most of the world’s population, environmental, social, cultural, and economic factors affect the health of individuals at every stage of life. Like other cities, the city of Cincinnati is faced with many health challenges across its fifty-two neighborhoods. The Community Health Pathway focuses on the unique health challenges and conditions associated with urban life.

Cancer:

With a shared vision to turn the tide against cancer, the University of Cincinnati, UC Health, and Cincinnati Children's partnered to form the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. As a unified cancer center, we are committed to delivering breakthrough research, compassionate care, and evidence-based training to achieve the best health outcomes in the region.

Mental Health:

We are dedicated to improving the emotional psychological and social well-being on campus and in our urban community by strengthening our community-academic partnerships, addressing systems issues, addressing cultural competence and trauma-informed care, and reducing the mental health stigma.

Addiction Science:

Addiction science spans the study of all addictive behaviors, substance use and nonsubstance use, such as opioids, marijuana, tobacco, gambling, and gaming.  By aligning interdisciplinary experts, we can support collaborative research that accelerates scientific advances, provide evidence-based practices, and optimize outcomes for our community.  

Medicine, Science, and Healthcare Workforce Diversity and Cultural Intelligence:

There is a persistent lack of diversity in the healthcare profession. It is critical to ensure that people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation are represented in healthcare.  Cultural competency ensures that we effectively deliver healthcare services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A diverse and culturally competent healthcare workforce can help improve health outcomes and quality of care as well as reduce health disparities.

Community Health:

Community health engagement is a shared leadership between the Community Health Pathway and the community.  Our community is central to ensuring a positive impact on the health and well-being of our residents. Through social mobilization, health education and promotion, community-engaged research, and intervention, we can address the social determinants of health and begin to address health inequities in our community.