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UK Philanthropy
PO Box 23552
Lexington, KY 40523
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Memo: Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET)

Why Your Donation Matters

The University of Kentucky Center for Health Equity Transformation’s mission is to synergize innovative, transdisciplinary, and impactful research and training to improve the health of the most vulnerable residents of Kentucky and beyond. Kentuckians suffer tremendous health inequities—among the highest national rates of the leading causes of death, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological disease, substance use, diabetes, and obesity. CHET researchers aim to go beyond documenting health disparities to reduce or eliminate these health problems through intervention, implementation, dissemination, and translational science.

CHET provides training and professional development to support innovative, transdisciplinary science careers for the next generation of health equity scholars. We developed the Students Participating as Ambassadors for Research in KY (SPARK) program, which trains diverse undergraduates to undertake impactful research in their home communities. Our extensive graduate research assistant training program engages five to six students from across the university; they are assigned research and service responsibilities, including involvement in ongoing health equity research projects, engaging in recruitment efforts, training our SPARKlers, and assisting with budgeting. Our postdoctoral training program focuses on addressing the tremendous burden of cancer in our rural regions.

We enhance the impact of our transformative research and training through our programming. These activities include pilot research project funding; a speaker and seminar series; student, trainee, and faculty awards, including the Changemaker series; research method workshops; community outreach and engagement; and other creative programming.

We welcome your support in our efforts to transform health and achieve equity by making a gift to the CHET Support Fund.

Training Programs

CHET supports a range of opportunities for trainees to receive professional development to undertake innovative and transdisciplinary science for the next generation of health equity scholars. Outreach to communities most burdened by health conditions is a fundamental component of these research and training programs.

Changemaker Awards

The purpose of the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) Equity Changemaker Award is to recognize the efforts of University of Kentucky graduate students, professional students, and postdoctoral scholars in advancing health equity through research and training. Annual awards will be made to individuals whose research seeks to understand health disparities and inequities and whose mentorship has contributed to the next generation of health equity scholars. 

Community Outreach and Engagement

CHET provides a vibrant, enriching programming portfolio consisting of speaker and seminar series, workshops, professional development, awards, and other activities. To increase our community impact, CHET actively deploys social media, publishes op-eds, and promotes antiracist practice.

For more information about where you can make a difference:

UK HealthCare Office of Philanthropy, 859-562-1602