You are here
Community Health and Environmental Research Initiatives (CHERI)
Our Mission
The mission of CHERI is to provide high-quality, impartial research and initiatives that reduce environmental inequities and associated health effects for historically marginalized communities, both in the United States and abroad. These initiatives involve convening multiple sectors and partnering with communities to find solutions to environmental inequities.
To accomplish its mission, CHERI:
- Incorporates concepts of equity into HEI’s existing programs.
- Creates funding mechanisms to support research and other projects focused on the needs of communities disproportionately affected by environmental pollution.
- Convenes communities, policymakers, academics, and industry to collaborate, share data, and identify solutions to address the drivers of environmental inequities.
- Develops tools and research translation mechanisms for use in decision making.
The program applies HEI’s research funding model to understand and meet the needs of historically marginalized communities while addressing environmental inequities.
Check out previous and ongoing HEI-funded research on disproportionate effects of air pollution and environmental inequities:
Previous
Ongoing
CHERI Advisory Council and Research Committee
The CHERI Advisory Council and Research Committee contribute to HEI’s efforts to reduce environmental inequities. Council and Panel members all have expertise in environmental justice, environmental health, community engagement, and air pollution monitoring or modeling, among other areas of expertise.
The Advisory Council is a multisectoral group comprised of representatives from academia, community groups, non-governmental organizations, and state or local governments. The Council:
- Provides strategic advice in establishing CHERI’s research program by identifying highest priority topics and programs where HEI can most effectively reduce environmental inequities.
- Identifies approaches to ensure that the program achieves its mission.
- Advises HEI on integrating equitable and just research and community engagement practices into its other programs, policies, and activities.
The CHERI Research Committee is comprised of representatives from academia and functions similarly to the HEI Research Committee. The Committee:
- Develops requests for proposals.
- Recommends studies and programs for funding.
- Provides oversight and feedback while studies are ongoing.
Ongoing Research
RFA 23-2: Assessing Changes in Exposures and Health Outcomes in Historically Marginalized and Environmentally Overburdened Communities from Air Quality Actions, Programs, or Other Interventions
This body of research will provide answers about whether recent air quality actions taken at the state and federal levels equitably improve emissions, air quality, and health for historically marginalized communities potentially affected by the growing goods movement.
What? Identify the health and equity impacts of state and local zoning policies for minimizing traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) from commercial vehicle fleets and distribution centers serving residential delivery in the Seattle and New York City areas.
How? Develop scenarios and analyze the health effects and equity implications of future low- and zero-emission vehicle procurement programs, truck delivery efficiency improvements, and urban land use policies on logistics-related development. The project integrates stakeholder interviews, policy scans, traffic demand modeling, and simulation to estimate the health risks of chronic exposure to e-commerce-related TRAP in marginalized communities.
Where? Seattle and New York City.
What? Examine the air quality, health, and equity implications of adoption of US EPA Clean truck rule, Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, and vehicle omnibus regulation in Chicago and whether policy-driven air pollution changes in Chicago are transferable nationwide.
How? 1. Use new satellite data, along with other publicly available datasets, to improve the accuracy of nationwide heavy-duty vehicle emissions, with a focus on emissions from warehouse environments. 2. Use updated emissions estimates in a high-resolution chemical transport model to understand how warehousing-related emissions and emission reduction policies affect exposures, health, and equity.
Where: Chicago and Nationwide.
What? Assess the effects of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks and Advanced Clean Fleets regulations on air pollutant exposure and health disparities in Southern California.
How? Estimate the impact of recently adopted zero-emission truck regulations changes on tailpipe and non-tailpipe pollutant emissions, refine an air quality model to simulate the corresponding changes in air pollutant concentrations, and assess disparities in exposures and health outcomes (mortality and asthma emergency department visits) in freight transport communities in Southern California.
Where: Southern California.
Events
Upcoming Events hosted by CHERI
Check back for upcoming in-person and online events!
