Current Projects
In addition to CHRT’s cornerstone programs–the health policy fellowship, the Washtenaw Health Initiative, and the physician and consumer surveys–CHRT regularly manages mission-relevant research, demonstration, and educational projects with funding from public sector partners, as well as paid consulting projects for public and private sector clients.
Featured Projects

Evaluating and communicating about Washtenaw County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) program
Client(s): Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health
Need: In October of 2021, Washtenaw County launched an evidence-based Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) program in response to data that revealed stark disparities between the general incarcerated population and the incarcerated…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is evaluating Washtenaw County’s LEADD Initiative to assess its effects on individual client outcomes as well as on the criminal justice and legal systems. CHRT will use a combination of evaluation methods including surveys, interviews, and analysis of existing data sources.
Concurrently, CHRT’s communications…
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Promoting social, behavioral, and economic research on COVID-19
Client(s): Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
Need: The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), a consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations, has been selected by the National Institutes of Health to coordinate social, behavioral,…
CHRT's Role: CHRT will support ICPSR and the consortium grantees by developing reports, research briefs, infographics, and other publications to share research findings, activities, and resources.
CHRT will deliver two pieces of communication material:
Annual meeting report sharing findings from the NIH-sponsored researchers
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Aligning Medicaid beneficiary needs with mental health service delivery standards
Client(s): Network 180, Lakeshore Regional Entity (LRE)
Need: Medicaid beneficiaries who require applied behavior analysis services and those with intellectual or developmental disabilities receiving community living services and personal care need specific services based on their acuity levels.
CHRT's Role: CHRT will collaborate with the Kent County community mental health agency Network 180 and the Lakeshore Regional Entity to conduct a comprehensive analysis aimed at better aligning beneficiary needs with service delivery standards.
Phase I…
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Strategic planning for long-term care and MI Health Link’s transition to an integrated D-SNP
Client(s): Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Need: In 2019, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) engaged CHRT in preliminary preparation for strategic planning activities around long-term services and supports (LTSS). MDHHS asked CHRT to facilitate a comprehensive process…
CHRT's Role: For this project, CHRT will conduct and analyze interviews with 16 advocacy groups, service providers, and other stakeholders to inform MDHHS’s LTSS strategic plan. CHRT will organize a meeting with MDHHS’ Behavioral and Physical Health and Aging Services Administration (BPHASA) leadership and LTSS program leads to…
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Coordinating medical care and social services for residents with complex needs and reducing health disparities
Client(s): Michigan Medicine Collaborative Quality Improvement (CQI) Initiative
Need: The Health Equity Project aims to help reduce health disparities for those with pressing social needs such as housing instability, food insecurity, transportation, health system complexity, and other socioeconomic factors by: (1) supporting…
CHRT's Role: The Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) provides backbone support to the local work in Washtenaw and Livingston counties and leads a multi-region learning community to identify ways to share best practices and accelerate progress, and to advance connections with statewide quality initiatives.
CHRT will…
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Promoting health equity by identifying and addressing the social needs of patients in five Michigan counties
Client(s): Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Need: The Promotion of Health Equity Initiative aims to develop a statewide infrastructure for SDOH data collection, analytics, and reporting to better identify and understand disparities and leverage data and community partnerships to help enhance…
CHRT's Role: CHRT provides backbone support to the four participating regions in the Promotion of Health Equity project, mobilizing and coordinating efforts and helping establish shared communications and reporting. CHRT has financial fiduciary responsibilities to Michigan Medicine for the funding of the participating regions. CHRT…
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Evaluation of Michigan’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Client(s):
Need: The 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) authorized a new demonstration program intended to improve community mental health services. In 2020, following a request from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan was…
CHRT's Role: The Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) at the University of Michigan will partner with MDHHS on this project to provide health research, analyses, surveys, demonstration projects, backbone support, and consulting. CHRT has existing experience evaluating Medicaid programs in the state, as well as advanced…
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Understanding health disparities through improving EMS data
Client(s):
Need: Emergent Health Partners and CHRT are working to implement EMS clinician training modules across all six EHP EMS agencies in Michigan. These modules will train clinicians to accurately collect sensitive demographic data pertaining to race, ethnicity,…
CHRT's Role: CHRT will be responsible for convening the community advisory board, implementing clinician training, and analyzing EMS data post-implementation.
Convening the community advisory board
CHRT will recruit CAB members through EHP's existing community partners, the Washtenaw Health Initiative…
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Health policy fellowship for Michigan-based researchers, nonprofit leaders, and policymakers
Client(s): Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Michigan Health and Hospital Association, Michigan Medicine, Wayne State University
Need: The CHRT Health Policy Fellowship at the University of Michigan brings together policymakers, researchers, and nonprofit fellows to learn about health policy and the research process — and the intersection between the two — from subject-matter…
CHRT's Role: Over the four-month fellowship period, interactive sessions take place in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Lansing, as well as a three-day trip to Washington, DC (circumstances allowing). Orientation briefings focus on the legislative process, Michigan state government structure, the research process, and challenges in building…
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Washtenaw County Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage implementation
Client(s): Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Need: Community partners in public safety seek to reduce the number of low-risk, low-level offenders with moderate to severe mental illness or substance use in jail and to redirect them to a supported and well-resourced path to community-based recovery.…
CHRT's Role: CHRT is working with Washtenaw County Community Mental Health to implement the recommendations of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Advisory Council. These recommendations for mental health millage investments include expanding crisis services, increasing prevention work, enhancing youth services, addressing…
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