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Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine

Departments, Centers & Programs

Department of Community and Behavioral Health

Who we are

  • WSU’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is composed of scholars who investigate psychological, social, and societal factors that affect human health. We are committed to generating new knowledge, training others, and using our work to improve the well-being of individuals and communities.

What we do

  • We improve health outcomes by conducting community-informed research and developing evidence-based policies and practices.
  • We develop foundational knowledge and critical thinking by providing rigorous multidisciplinary training at the graduate, professional, and postgraduate levels.
  • We practice responsive community engagement and advocacy through service activities at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

Why we do it

  • We aspire to create a more inclusive and just health system through interventions, programs, and policies that reduce health disparities, reject stigma, and improve community health.
  • We are reflexive and accountable to the communities we serve.
  • By our policies, practices, and behavior, we create and maintain a diverse, inclusive, and equitable department committed to social justice in our university and broader communities.
  • We recognize that the differences in our backgrounds and personal experiences help us better understand and address the complex health problems we study. We celebrate the diversity of our faculty, staff, and students.

Areas of Research

The Department of Community and Behavioral Health is centered around community-driven and interventional research that encompasses a wide range of focused areas:

  • Addiction
  • Diabetes
  • Community Health
  • Contingency Management
  • Mental Illness
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Health Policy

Much of this research is performed in transdisciplinary collaborations and labs, the following of which include faculty from the department:

Analytics and PsychoPharmacology Laboratory (APPL)
APPL is home to a thriving body of transdisciplinary addiction science research. APPL ranges in disciplinary representation from health policy and economics to experimental therapeutics and human toxicology.

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Collaborative on Health Reform and Independent Living (CHRIL)
CHRIL is a Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project, funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It is comprised of a group of academic researchers and disability advocates committed to responsive public policies for people with disabilities.

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Promoting Research Initiatives in Substance Use and Mental Health (PRISM) Collaborative
PRISM Collaborative addresses disparities in substance use disorder and mental health treatment and outcomes by working with communities to develop, test, implement, and disseminate community-driven interventions to improve the lives of individuals living with substance use disorders and mental illness.

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More Information

Faculty and Staff

Contact Us

Community and Behavioral Health
412 E Spokane Falls Blvd
509-368-6664
cbh@wsu.edu

Kimberly Cufley (KC)
Administrative Manager
509-368-6664
kimberly.cufley@wsu.edu

 

 

 

 

Naomi Chaytor, PhD
Chair for the Department of Community and Behavioral Health
naomic@wsu.edu
PROFILE