The Center for Research on Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness promotes and supports research to improve the health and well being of people who are vulnerable to chronic disease because of age, minority status, poverty, and/or rural residence. 

The Center’s has three primary goals:

1. To increase the use of physiological and behavioral variables in studying chronic illness in diverse populations and in individuals and groups at highest risk.
2. To develop and test theory-driven interventions to prevent or manage chronic illness in vulnerable populations.
3. To disseminate research findings to other researchers, clinicians, and policy makers about effective ways to prevent and manage chronic illness.

Activities of the Center, such as pilot funding, opportunities for synergy among investigators, and consultation, have led to increases in the number of studies focused on chronic illness and the number of investigators developing programs of research.  Since it began in 1994, the Center has funded 29 pilot studies.  With the exception of two cellular studies, all of the studies have focused on vulnerable and diverse populations.  The Center presently includes 24 federally funded research studies.

The Center partners closely with the School of Nursing’s Research Support Center, Center for Innovation in Health Disparities Research, and Biobehavioral Lab.  Working together, these four programs support and mentor faculty in the development of programs of research by offering methodological consultation on the use of physiological and behavioral techniques, consultation on the design and testing of theory-based interventions, shared equipment and facilities, statistical consultation, support for grant development and preparation, and editorial and technical support to disseminate research findings.

SON programs also work together to offer a weekly seminar series open to faculty and students campus-wide. Topics address methodological, analytic, and substantive issues and reflect the Center’s central themes of vulnerability, theory-driven interventions, and assessment of biological and behavioral parameters.