brochure page-by-page

UCLA CENTER FOR
HEALTH ADVANCEMENT

WHAT WE DO

All policy decisions — from the adoption of a gas tax,
to the design of a juvenile court system — must consider
potential impact on health and well-being.

Those connections are often opaque, but our work makes those links visible. We empower the general
public to advocate for policies that work, and compel informed discourse in the highest levels of
decision-making to improve health outcomes. We decode public health research so resources flow
to the most effective programs and policies, however unexpected.

MOST RESEARCHERS
START WITH A TOOL
AND ASK WHAT IT
CAN DO. WE START
WITH THE PROBLEM
TO BE SOLVED AND
SUGGEST WHICH
TOOLS WILL WORK.

HOW WE DO IT

The UCLA Center for Health Advancement makes the
health implications of policy decisions visible through
assessments, forecasting, and modeling.

Our research demystifies public health by building an ever-growing resource of concrete and tangible,
evidence-based models. Where most researchers start with a tool and ask what it can do, we start
with the problem to be solved and suggest which tools will work. We scour the policy landscape for
programs, policies, and projects with real impact. Through this prism, we clarify the public health
implications of a broad range of policies and programs.

OUR IMPACT

The Center for Health Advancement’s
innovative approach weds statistics,
economics, and policy modeling with
public health for maximum community
benefit and individual wellness.

The results of our approach can be surprising, and our work has influenced policy in a variety of ways.

We’ve helped build the formula for allocating after-school dollars, protecting low-
income kids while sensibly assigning scarce state funds.
Our assessments made clear the broad health impacts of the Los Angeles City Living
Wage Ordinance.
Our work helped mitigate increases in LA Metro bus fares.
LA County Metro included our research on economic and health disparities in its
final Environmental Impact Assessment for the Westside Subway Expansion.
Hospitals throughout Southern California have used our research to direct funding
of community benefit programs.
Our research showed that an in-home nurse visitation program in underserved
households reduces crime and suicide attempts, and for every dollar invested it
returns $1.18.
This is research that makes sense to anyone, from a struggling single parent, to a decision maker at
the highest rungs of power. Our process translates an otherwise nebulous program or piece of policy
into concrete outcomes — we identify the best opportunities to make the community a healthier
place for everyone.

Learn more at: ph.ucla.edu/research/centers/ucla-center-health-advancement



WHO WE ARE

The UCLA Center for Health Advancement provides
critical information to local governments and the public
about the health impact of policy decisions.

We believe in a cross-sector, inclusive approach to building healthy communities — our expertise
incorporates a range of non-health fields, from education and transportation, to urban planning and
economics. We believe in empowered communities, where any policy decision is carefully calibrated
for its health impact.

ph.ucla.edu/research/centers/ucla-center-health-advancement