Anita Chandra

Vice President and Director, RAND Social and Economic Well-Being; Senior Policy Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Washington Office

Education

Dr.P.H. in population and family health sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; M.P.H. in maternal and child health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health; B.A. in child development, Tufts University

One Page Bio

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Anita Chandra (she/her) is vice president and director of RAND Social and Economic Well-Being and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. The division manages RAND's Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy as well as other Centers on climate, housing, drug policy, policing, and civil justice. She leads studies on civic well-being and community planning; disaster response and resilience; public health emergency preparedness; health and health equity; child health and development, and effects of military deployment on families.

Throughout her career, Chandra has engaged government and nongovernmental partners to consider cross-sector solutions for improving community well-being and to build more robust systems, implementation, and evaluation capacity. This work has taken many forms, including engaging with federal and local government agencies on building systems for emergency preparedness and resilience both in the United States and globally; partnering with private sector organizations to develop the science base around child systems; and collaborating with city governments and foundations to modernize data systems and measure environmental sustainability, well-being, and civic transformation. Chandra has also partnered with community organizations to conduct broad-scale health and environmental needs assessments, to examine the integration of health and human service systems, and to determine how to integrate equity and address the needs of historically marginalized populations in human service systems. These projects have occurred in partnership with businesses, foundations, and other community organizations. Chandra earned a Dr.P.H. in population and family health sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Transforming public health data systems
Advancing healthy and equitable futures for children
Pandemic preparedness
Civic well-being strategy
Community resilience and disaster response

Recent Media Appearances

Interviews: ActionNewsJax.com; Associated Press; InvestHuman; Medical News Today; NBC; PBS; Psychology Today online; Time Magazine; Washington Post; WNPR

Commentary: Montgomery Advertiser; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog; Santa Monica Daily Press

Commentary

Community Health and Well-Being

Research Shows How Communities Are Prioritizing Health Equity
In partnership with RAND, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tracking how communities are evolving their approaches to building a Culture of Health and advancing health equity. The research offers insights on how and why inequities develop, and more importantly, how communities change course and move towards health equity.
Feb 1, 2023
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
Pandemic

American Attitudes About Vaccine Globalism
Overall, American support for sharing vaccines with other countries was high even before the Omicron variant. This may reflect recognition of the need to proactively address the pandemic beyond U.S. borders to truly be on the path to recovery.
Dec 9, 2021
The RAND Blog
Child Well-Being

How Are the Kids Doing? The Well-Being of Children and the Nation's Potential
Today's children are growing up amid extraordinary challenges that could shape their health, development, and well-being for years to come. Investing in a new approach to measure their potential to flourish could promote national well-being in the long term.
Oct 22, 2021
Health Affairs Blog
Public Health Preparedness

How Have Communities Been Faring During COVID-19? And How Will Lessons Learned Inform Future Response and Planning?
As the United States emerges from the devastation of the pandemic, it may be time to examine the choices communities made during the last year to see how these approaches shape continued COVID-19 response and recovery and help build resilience for future pandemic response.
Aug 11, 2021
The RAND Blog
Public Health

American Views on COVID-19 Health Risks, School and Economy Reopening
Much of the discussion about opening schools and the economy has focused on the educational and economic effects that closures may have on the most vulnerable groups. But some of these groups still remain wary of the increased health risks of opening.
May 4, 2021
The RAND Blog
Community Health and Well-Being

What Communities Need to Thrive: Q&A with Anita Chandra
Anita Chandra, vice president and director of RAND Social and Economic Well-Being, focuses on issues of health, well-being, and equity. She is researching how to create a culture of health, how to address inequities in the U.S. health system, and disaster response and resilience, especially in the context of the pandemic.
Mar 8, 2021
Community Health and Well-Being

Understanding Our Culture of Health Before the Pandemic Can Help Us Improve It Afterward
Measuring health and the social and economic factors that influenced it before the pandemic helps us understand the kind of risks the United States faced previously. It can also inform how to move forward toward recovery.
Jan 29, 2021
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

How Much Do Americans Value Their Health During the Pandemic?
Do Americans believe that limiting the spread of COVID-19 justifies the social and economic costs of physical-distancing measures? Researchers conducted a survey to better understand how Americans weigh health against other priorities.
Oct 29, 2020
The RAND Blog
Social Determinants of Health

Choosing a Different Path for a Healthier Future After COVID-19
Today, every American community is sitting at a crossroads, as local governments continue to address the health crisis of COVID-19 while grappling with the financial realities of maintaining operations. While some communities may take a more traditional route of only investing further in health care services, there is an opportunity to take a more holistic approach and address the multitude of factors that have contributed to the devastation of COVID-19.
Oct 2, 2020
The RAND Blog
Health Care Services Capacity

Don't Waste This Crisis: How America Can Begin Building a System of Health
COVID-19 is shining a harsh spotlight on long-recognized but under-addressed gaps in the U.S. health system. There may never have been a more pressing time to think differently, broadening from health care services to a health-producing System of Health.
May 4, 2020
The RAND Blog
Community Health and Well-Being

Reopening America—The Health and Economic Trade-Offs: Q&A with RAND Experts
Local and state officials are thinking through whether, when, and how to lift social-distancing restrictions. We asked three RAND researchers about the complex problem of reopening.
May 4, 2020
Social Determinants of Health

Rx Civic Engagement: Keeping the Public Engaged in Public Health
Civic engagement—activities like voting and volunteering—is essential for the health of democracy. A turn at the ballot box might also improve physical and mental health.
Feb 4, 2020
Las Vegas Sun
Social Determinants of Health

New Data on How We're Measuring a Culture of Health
We are seeing small but positive changes in the appreciation of the social determinants of health and the need for broader community health investments. People are expanding their views of what influences health and there have been some targeted improvements in health care and public health access. Yet, the critical systemic changes needed for more transformative health improvements have been slower to follow.
Sep 13, 2019
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
Health and Wellness Promotion

Measuring Progress Toward a Culture of Health... at the Library
Libraries can provide much more than books and internet access. Libraries across the United States are evolving to play a bigger role in community health. Many offer nutrition programs, mental health support, and even free bike-shares.
Nov 21, 2018
Health Affairs Blog
Community Health and Well-Being

Local Development of a Culture of Health: Learning from Sentinel Communities
The Culture of Health project focuses on making health a priority in communities. As the United States grapples with health care spending and changing demographics, the Sentinel Communities project will illuminate stories from local communities and paint a picture of the ways communities strive to improve population health.
Aug 1, 2018
Health Affairs Blog
Community Resilience

What Hurricane Katrina Taught Us About Community Resilience
Hurricane Katrina left a path of destruction, death, and suffering in its wake. Its recovery, halting and incomplete as it has been, has taught us valuable lessons about resiliency.
Sep 8, 2015
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health blog
Health and Wellness Promotion

Wellbeing Project to Weave Science Into Government Decisions
Wellbeing is about individuals having the skills and opportunity to live a meaningful life. There are countless things that cities do that either contribute or detract from that sense of meaning. Santa Monica's Wellbeing Project is working to fundamentally change how the government thinks about its citizens.
Apr 29, 2015
Santa Monica Daily Press
Community Health and Well-Being

Here's to Our Health
Atop the new mayor's agenda should be improving the health and well-being of Pittsburgh residents. With an unassailable electoral mandate in hand, Mr. Peduto is positioned to take bold steps. And the best way to do that is by applying scientific and medical evidence to shape an integrated, citywide, health-policy framework.
Nov 25, 2013
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Community Resilience

Translating Policy Into Action to Build Community Resilience
The philosophy and motivation surrounding community resilience has strongly resonated with community leaders but there remains a divide between how experts articulate resilience policy and how that policy translates to on-the-ground implementation. Building Community Resilience: An Online Training addresses that tension.
Sep 4, 2013
The RAND Blog
Community Resilience

Planning for Superstorms, Wildfires, and Deep Uncertainty
The path to climate change preparedness should start at the intersection of resilience and robustness — that is, building resilient communities with the individuals and organizations within those communities making robust decisions, ones designed to work well over a wide range of ever-changing conditions.
Apr 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
Hurricanes

'New Normal' Requires New Ways to Support Social and 'Human' Recovery
Recent global disasters vividly illustrate that recovery entails more than simply restoring physical infrastructure such as roads and buildings; it is also a long process of restoring the social infrastructure—the daily routines and networks that support the physical and mental health and well-being of the population, write Anita Chandra and Joie Acosta.
Nov 26, 2012
The RAND Blog
Emergency Preparedness

Why Aren't Americans Listening to Disaster Preparedness Messages?
Given the recent spate of highly publicized disasters, why don't more Americans pay attention to the advice of public health officials? The messages they are getting are largely based on unverified assumptions, not hard evidence. Equally concerning, these assumptions may inadvertently hinder preparedness.
Jun 29, 2012
The RAND Blog
Nation Building

A Month After the Earthquake: Opportunities Slipping Away
Previous efforts by the international community to stabilize Haiti have met with little or only short-term success. This time, following the earthquake, the U.S. response could actually leverage the response and recovery opportunities into a broader international plan, write Agnes Gereben Schaefer and Anita Chandra.
Feb 24, 2010
RAND.org and GlobalSecurity.org
Gulf Coast States

Human Side of Katrina Recovery Still Needs Work
Four years after Hurricane Katrina, many people in the Gulf Coast region are still "just surviving," write Anita Chandra and Joie Acosta.
Oct 17, 2009
Montgomery Advertiser

Publications

Journal Article
Capacities of Health Systems in Climate Migrant Receiving Communities: Insights in the US Gulf Coast
This report examines how health care delivery systems in receiving communities meet the needs of climate migrants in three case study sites in the US Gulf Coast.
Mar 1, 2023
Report
Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Outbreak: Preventing and Managing Future Pandemics
This collection of essays describes missteps made and lessons of critical importance learned during the global and U.S. response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, with the goal of improving preparedness and preventing future pandemics.
Nov 1, 2022
Journal Article
Advancing a Well-Being Narrative: Expanding How Decision-Makers Think About Progress in Order to Transform Priorities and Actions, and Appendix
We developed a summary of research on well-being narrative testing, which has not yet been pursued in this way in the U.S., along with ideas for experimentation and early action.
Oct 20, 2022
Journal Article
Equity as a Guiding Principle for the Public Health Data System
This article examines what it means to use equity as a guiding principle throughout the components and functions of a modern public health data system.
Sep 14, 2022
Journal Article
The Issues of Interoperability and Data Connectedness for Public Health
The article summarizes some of the challenges around data sharing and reuse and identifies where the technology and data sectors can contribute to fill current gaps to promote interoperability and data stewardship.
Sep 14, 2022
Journal Article
Technology and Data Implications for the Public Health Workforce
The article identifies where the technology and data sectors can contribute skills, expertise, and assets in support of innovative workforce models and augment the development of public health workforce competencies.
Sep 14, 2022
Journal Article
What Data Should Be Included in a Modern Public Health Data System
The article summarizes what data should be included in the public health data system and identifies where the technology and data sectors can contribute to fill current gaps to measure equity, positive health, and well-being.
Sep 14, 2022
Journal Article
The Gross Developmental Potential (GDP2): A New Approach for Measuring Human Potential and Wellbeing
The Gross Developmental Potential (GDP2) is proposed as a new capabilities-based framework for assessing threats to thriving and understanding progress in achieving lifelong health and wellbeing.
Sep 2, 2022
Report
COVID-19 and the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk: Description and Top-Line Summary Data — Wave 4, Fall 2021
This report summarizes descriptive findings from the last of four waves of a survey on how Americans' health views and values have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on populations deemed vulnerable or underserved.
Dec 9, 2021
Journal Article
Transforming Public Health Data Systems: White Papers to Inform Commission
RWJF commissioned RAND to produce a series of white papers that describe the current landscape, emerging innovations, and opportunities for transforming and transitioning to a new public health data system.
Oct 20, 2021
Journal Article
What If Progress Meant Well-Being for All? U.S. Innovators Use Global Insights to Shift the Narrative and Surface Opportunities Ahead
In many countries, progress is sharply defined only as economic growth. What if that narrative shifted and progress were defined as well-being for all people?
Sep 1, 2021
Report
Assessing Health and Human Services Needs to Support an Integrated Health in All Policies Plan for Prince George's County, Maryland
This report describes a health and human services needs assessment of Prince George's County, Maryland. Findings from this report can inform Prince George's County's pursuit of a Health in All Policies approach to policymaking.
Aug 26, 2021
Journal Article
Addressing America's Crisis of Despair and Economic Recovery: A Call for a Coordinated Effort
This policy paper proposes a new federal interagency task force to address our nation's crisis of despair as a critical first step to sustainable economic recovery.
Aug 4, 2021
Journal Article
COVID-19 Community Response: Emerging Themes Across Sentinel Communities
Since the onset of COVID-19, RAND researchers contributed to four reports on the impact and response in nine communities (Finney Co., Harris Co., Milwaukee, Mobile, San Juan Co., Sanilac Co., Tacoma, Tampa, and White Plains) and four cross-community reports.
Jul 14, 2021
Journal Article
Rental Eviction and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Averting a Looming Crisis
This report recommends that the Executive Office of the President of the United States should consider establishing a task force to prevent rental evictions and mitigate housing instability caused by the pandemic.
Jun 29, 2021
Multimedia
Exiting Extremism: What Binds People to Extremist Groups and How Organizations Help Them Leave
This one-hour webinar explores the forces that pull individuals to extremist groups, the binds that keep them connected, and why leaving can be so challenging.
Jun 18, 2021
Report
Adapting to Adversity amid a Global Pandemic: Stakeholder Insights About Progress and Next Steps for Taking Integrative Action to Build Resilient Systems
In 2020, the global pandemic and ongoing chronic stressors caused multiple shocks in the United States. The authors describe recommendations to advance an integrative resilience research and practice agenda based on recent stakeholder experiences.
Jun 11, 2021
Journal Article
Is Public Health's Multisectoral Mission Achieving Its Promise in the United States?
This chapter examines the progress and limitations of public health's current approach to cross-sector collaboration and offers insights about paths forward.
Jun 8, 2021
Report
COVID-19 and the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk: Description and Top-Line Summary Data — Wave 3, Winter 2021
This report presents the results of the third of four surveys on how Americans' health views and values have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on populations deemed vulnerable or underserved.
May 4, 2021
Journal Article
Americans' View of the Impact of COVID-19: Perspectives on Racial Impacts and Equity
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disparate effect on African Americans and Latino groups. But it is unknown how aware the public is of these differences, and how the pandemic has changed perceptions of equity and access to health care.
Mar 30, 2021
Journal Article
Drivers of Differential Views of Health Equity in the U.S. Is the U.S. Ready to Make Progress? Results from the 2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes
This study uses data from a nationally representative sample of American adults to examine the factors that people think drive health outcomes and their beliefs about the importance of health equity.
Jan 26, 2021
Report
COVID-19 and the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk: Description and Top-Line Summary Data — Wave 2, Fall 2020
This report presents the results of the second of four surveys on how Americans' health views and values have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on populations deemed vulnerable or underserved.
Jan 13, 2021
Report
COVID-19 and the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk: Description and Top-Line Summary Data — Wave 1, Summer 2020
This report presents the results of the first of four surveys on how Americans' health views and values have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on populations deemed vulnerable or underserved.
Oct 29, 2020
Journal Article
Integration of Well-Being with Resilience and Other Broad Scale Social Change
This book is a combination of scientific papers, case studies from the field, and excerpts from a lively, multidisciplinary discussion which intentionally connects issues of measurement to the imperative for action.
Oct 22, 2020
Report
Health and Social Services in Puerto Rico Before and After Hurricane Maria: Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Themes for Recovery
This overview of health and social services in Puerto Rico includes 31 courses of action to better recover from health crises, build a more resilient system to future disasters, and actively promote health and well-being.
Sep 30, 2020
Report
The Education Sector in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria: Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Themes for Recovery
Presenting a strategic approach to aid Puerto Rico's recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the report details prestorm conditions, assesses damage and recovery needs, and describes courses of action for the Education sector.
Sep 30, 2020
Journal Article
Advancing Community Resilience Research and Practice: Moving from "Me" to "We" to "3d"
In this article, we provide a rationale for moving research and practice towards an adaptive systems framework, drawing on the cascading challenges that Gulf of Mexico coastal communities have endured since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill disaster.
Sep 16, 2020
Journal Article
Factors Related to Health Civic Engagement: Results from the 2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes to Understand Progress Towards a Culture of Health
Health civic engagement may help improve conditions that influence health and well-being for all. Focusing on individuals' sense of community and highlighting investments in community health may be associated with increased health civic engagement and improved community and population health.
Jul 24, 2020
Journal Article
Promoting Youth Well-Being Through Health and Education: Insights and Opportunities
Although well-being frameworks that integrate education and health exist, few of them have been examined rigorously to reveal how both educational and health outcomes can be achieved together.
Nov 26, 2019
Report
Examining Civic Engagement Links to Health: Findings from the Literature and Implications for a Culture of Health
This report summarizes a structured review to understand what the current scientific literature indicates about whether health is a cause of civic engagement, a consequence of it, or both.
Sep 18, 2019
Report
2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes: Description and Top-Line Summary Data
This report describes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Survey of Health Attitudes, part of the foundation's efforts to build a Culture of Health in America, and provides the survey text and summary statistics.
May 1, 2019
Journal Article
Building and Measuring Community Resilience: Actions for Communities and the Gulf Research Program
This report summarizes the existing portfolio of relevant or related resilience measurement efforts and notes gaps and challenges associated with them.
2019
Report
Measuring Barriers to Mental Health Care in the Military: The RAND Barriers and Facilitators to Care Item Banks
This report summarizes the findings of a study to construct item banks of barriers and facilitators to mental health care for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Dec 11, 2018
Report
Toward an Initial Conceptual Framework to Assess Community Allostatic Load: Early Themes from Literature Review and Community Analyses on the Role of Cumulative Community Stress
Understanding extant stress levels within a community can help inform how it responds to acute or traumatic events. This report presents a framework that could be used to develop a concept for determining the allostatic load on a community.
Jun 29, 2018
Journal Article
Evaluating Community Partnerships Addressing Community Resilience in Los Angeles, California
This study measured a key characteristic of community resilience: the growth of organizational networks and partnerships over time. Information from this research may be useful to local health departments interested in applying a community resilience framework to disaster preparedness.
May 4, 2018
Report
Charting Progress: U.S. Military Non-Medical Counseling Programs
This chartbook summarizes findings from an evaluation of two programs offered by the DoD that provide solution-focused counseling for common personal and family issues to members of the active and reserve components of the U.S. military and their families.
Apr 27, 2018
Research Brief
Boosting Disaster Resilience Among Older Adults
Older adults are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Collaborations between public health departments and organizations that promote aging in place could improve disaster resilience among older populations.
Jan 26, 2018
Tool
Building Older Adults' Resilience by Bridging Public Health and Aging-in-Place Efforts: Toolkit
This toolkit contains information and activities that can bring together those involved in aging-in-place support and those involved in disaster resilience efforts to improve the resilience of older adults to natural and human-caused disasters.
Jan 23, 2018
Report
Improving Disaster Resilience Among Older Adults: Insights from Public Health Departments and Aging-in-Place Efforts
This report uses interview data from public health departments and aging-in-place efforts to explore how alignment between these entities can strengthen the disaster resilience of older adults and identify promising programs or new collaborations.
Jan 23, 2018
Infographic
Helping Military Families: A Look at Non-Medical Counseling Programs in the U.S. Military
A recent evaluation of the military's non-medical counseling programs suggests that they help military personnel and their families. Participants gave the programs favorable ratings, and most reported improvement over a three-month period.
Jan 16, 2018
Journal Article
Can Measures Change the World?
The purpose of this article is to start a dialogue about how one can better use measurement to promote large-scale system change.
2018
Journal Article
How Do Communities Use a Participatory Public Health Approach to Build Resilience? The Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project
Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience (LACCDR) coalitions implemented community resilience by anchoring it in preparedness, embracing diversity, engaging while educating, and building reciprocity in partnerships.
Dec 14, 2017
Report
An Evaluation of U.S. Military Non-Medical Counseling Programs
This report evaluates two programs offered by the U.S. Department of Defense that provide solution-focused counseling for common personal and family issues to members of the active and reserve components of the U.S. military and their families.
Oct 23, 2017
Research Brief
U.S. Military Non-Medical Counseling Programs Demonstrate Benefits for Participants
RAND's evaluation of Military and Family Life Counseling and Military OneSource, based on participant surveys, suggests that these programs are largely effective for service members and families who have used these services.
Oct 23, 2017
Report
Resilience Dividend Valuation Model: Framework Development and Initial Case Studies
This report describes the development of the Resilience Dividend Valuation Model, a complementary framework designed to help communities estimate the resilience dividend from resilience projects or investment.
Aug 1, 2017
Report
How Cultural Alignment and the Use of Incentives Can Promote a Culture of Health: Stakeholder Perspectives
This report draws on interviews with Culture of Health stakeholders whose work focused on culture, incentives, or both to learn how organizations are addressing and leveraging culture and incentives to promote health and well-being.
Apr 14, 2017
Report
An Agenda to Advance Integrative Resilience Research and Practice: Key Themes From a Resilience Roundtable
Presents recommendations for an integrated agenda to promote transdisciplinary resilience research and practice, drawing on proceedings from a 2016 Resilience Roundtable and a supplementary literature review.
Feb 6, 2017
Research Brief
Exploring America's Role in a Turbulent World: Strategic Rethink
This brief outlines the Strategic Rethink project and describes research documented in the final volume of the project, focusing on three different strategic orientations to satisfy the greatest number of U.S. interests and objectives.
Jan 18, 2017
Report
Strategic Choices for a Turbulent World: In Pursuit of Security and Opportunity
This report is the last of a series in which RAND explores the elements of a national strategy for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy, in this new era of turbulence and uncertainty. Three alternative strategic concepts are presented.
Jan 18, 2017
Journal Article
Beyond Disaster Preparedness: Building a Resilience-Oriented Workforce for the Future
Deepening the field of resilience will require a trained and capable resilience-oriented workforce, but optimal strategies for developing such a workforce have yet to be realized.
2017
Journal Article
Towards More Nuanced Classification of NGOs and Their Services to Improve Integrated Planning Across Disaster Phases
Categorizing NGO disaster services as either "core"-critical to fulfilling an organizational mission-or "adaptive"-based on community needs during a disaster-will strengthen resilience-building efforts.
2017
Journal Article
Drivers of Health as a Shared Value: Mindset, Expectations, Sense of Community and Civic Engagement
A shared understanding of health as a cultural value is key to achieving an equitable health system and a culture of health.
Nov 28, 2016
Journal Article
Cross-sector Collaborations and Partnerships: Essential Ingredients to Help Shape Health and Well-Being
Policies that support collaboration between the formal health system and organizations in partner sectors--housing, education, and transportation--are key to achieving a culture of health.
Nov 28, 2016
Journal Article
Creating Healthier, More Equitable Communities by Improving Governance and Policy
Political and governance considerations should play a central role in the national conversation about improving health and health equity.
Nov 28, 2016
Journal Article
Preparing for Deployment: Examining Family and Individual-Level Factors
Deployment can be a significant source of stress for military families. Understanding how families prepare in the face of such stress, and which families are less likely to prepare, is a priority of the Department of Defense.
Jul 25, 2016
Report
What Role Does the Private Sector Have in Supporting Disaster Recovery, and What Challenges Does It Face in Doing So?
This perspective examines key issues confronting the private sector in disaster recovery financing, the roles that private-sector entities have played, and where there has been successful integration or leadership of these organizations.
May 18, 2016
Tool
ENGAGED Toolkit: Improving the Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in Disaster Response and Recovery
The toolkit assists public health and emergency planners and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) stakeholders in determining the capacity and capability of particular NGOs for disaster response and recovery.
Apr 18, 2016
Report
Building a National Culture of Health: Background, Action Framework, Measures, and Next Steps
In 2013, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) began its Culture of Health initiative. To implement the primary Culture of Health outcome of improved population health, well-being, and equity, RWJF worked with RAND to develop an action framework.
Mar 11, 2016
Report
Development of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Survey of Health Attitudes: Description and Top-Line Summary Data
This report describes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Survey of Health Attitudes, part of the foundation's Culture of Health strategy. It describes the survey development and provides the survey text and summary statistics of the data.
Jan 21, 2016
Report
Stakeholder Perspectives on a Culture of Health: Key Findings
RAND engaged stakeholders to support development of an action framework and measurement strategy for Robert Wood Johnson's Culture of Health vision, in which "everyone in our diverse society leads healthier lives now and for generations to come."
Jan 14, 2016
Report
The Urban Child Institute CANDLE Study: Methodological Overview and Baseline Sample Description
This report describes the study design and summary data from the first year of data collection for the Urban Child Institute Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood Study.
Dec 21, 2015
Journal Article
Youth Resilience Corps: An Innovative Model to Engage Youth in Building Disaster Resilience
This study describes the development of a Youth Resilience Corps, or YRC (i.e., a set of tools to engage young people in youth-led community resilience activities) and the findings from a small-scale pilot test.
Nov 11, 2015
Journal Article
Developing a Tabletop Exercise to Test Community Resilience: Lessons from the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project
A tabletop exercise can be used to stress and test resilience-based capacities.
Sep 25, 2015
Journal Article
Partnerships for Community Resilience: Perspectives from the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project
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Sep 25, 2015
Tool
Partnerships for Recovery Across The Sectors (PRACTIS) Toolkit
The Partnerships for Recovery Across The Sectors (PRACTIS) toolkit employs a survey, a quality improvement guide, and a recovery exercise to strengthen disaster recovery partnerships between local health departments and community-based organizations.
Sep 15, 2015
Tool
Community Resilience: Learn and Tell Toolkit
This toolkit is intended to teach people about community resilience so that they can then teach others. It has information and exercises, which individuals and organizations can use to communicate with their staff and service populations.
Apr 22, 2015
Tool
The Hungrier Games: Disaster Resilience Skills for Youth
This guide contains an introduction to the key principles of community resilience. It is intended for high school youth (ages 14--18). The introduction is presented through youth-friendly talking points and the use of a scavenger hunt game.
Apr 22, 2015
Tool
Off To A Good Start: Social and Emotional Development of Memphis' Children
Drawing on national, state, and local data, the Urban Child Institute partnered with RAND to explore the social and emotional well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, Tenn.
Jan 15, 2015
Journal Article
Quantifying 'Problematic' DIF Within an IRT Framework: Application to a Cancer Stigma Index
This paper introduces two metrics for IRT DIF evaluation that can discern potentially problematic DIF among items flagged with statistically significant DIF.
2015
Infographic
Building Blocks for a Resilient City
This infographic illustrates how communities can withstand and recover from disasters by building resiliency.
Aug 18, 2014
Journal Article
The Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project: A Community-Level, Public Health Initiative to Build Community Disaster Resilience
This paper provides a detailed description of the theoretical rationale, intervention design and novel evaluation of the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project (LACCDR), a public health program for increasing community disaster resilience.
Aug 1, 2014
Journal Article
Developing a Global Cancer Stigma Index
The cancer stigma index can be used to inform initial cancer education efforts, identifying overall stigma levels in a country or community and particular issue areas requiring intervention.
Jul 1, 2014
Infographic
Road to Resilience: Building Stronger, More Sustainable Communities
This infographic illustrates how communities can become more resilient as they plan ahead for potential disasters.
May 23, 2014
Multimedia
Building Resilient Communities: Spanish translation
This video is a Spanish translation of an excerpt from Building Resilient Communities: An Online Training, which shows organizations and communities how to strengthen their resilience against manmade and natural disasters.
May 20, 2014
Report
The Deployment Life Study: Methodological Overview and Baseline Sample Description
The report provides a deeper understanding of military family readiness, describing the measures used in the baseline assessment, data-collection design and procedures, sampling and recruiting procedures, and the baseline sample of military families.
Apr 28, 2014
Journal Article
Implementing Psychological First-Aid Training for Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers
Psychological first-aid (PFA) training is a promising approach to improve surge responder confidence and competency in addressing postdisaster needs.
2014
Tool
2013 Interactive Community Health Needs Assessment
This interactive web tool draws attention to specific findings in the community health needs assessment in a format that is user friendly and can help to inform the public.
Nov 6, 2013
Journal Article
Household Preparedness Is Not Enough: The Challenges and Opportunities in Assessing Community Readiness for Disasters
This study aimed to identify existing measures of partnership, self-sufficiency, and social connectedness, as well as gaps and opportunities in the measurement of community preparedness and resilience.
Sep 1, 2013
Tool
Building Resilient Communities: An Online Training
This easy-to-use, self-guided online training shows organizations and communities how to strengthen their resilience.
Aug 13, 2013
Journal Article
Applying Community Engagement to Disaster Planning: Developing the Vision and Design for the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Initiative
A steering council used community-partnered participatory research to support workgroups in developing CR action plans and hosted forums for input to design a pilot demonstration of implementing CR versus enhanced individual preparedness toolkits.
Jul 1, 2013
Journal Article
Building Community Disaster Resilience: Perspectives from a Large Urban County Department of Public Health
Using the example of the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project, we discuss our experience and perspective from a large urban county to better understand how to implement a community resilience framework in public health practice.
Jul 1, 2013
Journal Article
Getting Actionable About Community Resilience: The Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project
The findings highlighted opportunities for engaging communities in disaster preparedness and informed the development of a community action plan and toolkit.
Jul 1, 2013
Report
District of Columbia Community Health Needs Assessment
Analyzes existing demographic, health status, and hospital service use data for the District of Columbia, as well as current stakeholder perspectives, health policy, and investment priorities.
Jun 26, 2013
Journal Article
Building Community Resilience: What Can the United States Learn from Experiences in Other Countries?
Community resilience (CR) is emerging as a major public policy priority within disaster management and is one of two key pillars of the Dec. 2009 US National Health Security Strategy.
2013
Journal Article
Harnessing a Community for Sustainable Disaster Response and Recovery: An Operational Model for Integrating Nongovernmental Organizations
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are important to a community during times of disaster and routine operations. However, their effectiveness is reduced without an operational framework that integrates response and recovery efforts.
2013
Journal Article
Nongovernmental Resources to Support Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Although recent emergencies or disasters have underscored the vital role of nongovernmental (NGO) resources, they remain not well understood or leveraged.
2013
Journal Article
The Promise and Pitfalls of Community Resilience
This commentary describes the potential promise and pitfalls of the concept of community resilience and recommends strategies to overcome its limitations.
2013
Report
Assessing Operation Purple: A Program Evaluation of a Summer Camp for Military Youth
To help fill the gap in the research on the effectiveness of military family support programs, a RAND study explored the curriculum, themes, and outcomes of Operation Purple, a free weeklong summer camp program for youth with a deployed parent.
Jul 25, 2012
Journal Article
Citizen Preparedness for Disasters: Are Current Assumptions Valid?
Despite extensive messaging about the importance of citizen preparedness and countless household surveys purporting to track the preparedness activities of individuals and households, the role individual Americans are being asked to play is largely based on conventional wisdom.
Jun 1, 2012
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 1, Spring 2012
Stories cover Iran's nuclear threat, social security in Mexico, programs for veterans, crime costs, U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, the health insurance mandate, legal defense, marijuana legalization, global education, and Louisiana's coastal planning.
May 11, 2012
Research Brief
How Do Soldiers' Deployments Affect Children's Academic Performance and Behavioral Health?
With regard to Army families, the study examines the effects of long and frequent parental deployments on children’s academic performance as well as their emotional and behavioral well-being in the school setting.
Apr 9, 2012
Journal Article
Mixed-method Approach to Understanding the Experiences of Non-Deployed Military Caregivers
Caregivers affiliated with the National Guard and those with more months of deployment report significantly poorer emotional well-being, and more household and relationship hassles.
2012
Report
Source Materials for the Healthy Communities Toolkit: A Resource Guide for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Provides content for a toolkit that will prepare community and faith-based organizations to take advantage of opportunities presented in the Affordable Care Act and engage faith and community leaders in promoting health in their communities.
May 6, 2011
Report
Effects of Soldiers' Deployment on Children's Academic Performance and Behavioral Health
With regard to Army families, the study examines the effects of long and frequent parental deployments on children's academic performance as well as their emotional and behavioral well-being in the school setting.
Apr 4, 2011
Report
The Nongovernmental Sector in Disaster Resilience: Conference Recommendations for a Policy Agenda
This report summarizes findings from a conference intended to generate a national policy agenda for better engaging nongovernmental organizations in disaster response and recovery.
Mar 14, 2011
Research Brief
Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Roadmap to Guide Local Planning
Examines ways in which communities can improve their ability to withstand and recover from adversity.
Feb 22, 2011
Report
Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Way Forward to Enhance National Health Security
Provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local leaders who are developing plans to enhance community resilience for health security threats and describes options for building community resilience in key areas.
Feb 22, 2011
Research Brief
Views from the Homefront: How Military Youth and Spouses Are Coping with Deployment
Reports the results of a longitudinal study of youth from military families and their caregivers concerning their emotional well-being and how well they are coping with servicemembers' extended deployments.
Jan 19, 2011
Draft
The Experience of Outdoor Education at Operation Purple® Camp: Findings from a Sample of Youth Participants
Examine the benefits of outdoor education activities in Operation Purple® camps, which are free camps for youth from military families.
Jan 19, 2011
Report
Views from the Homefront: The Experiences of Youth and Spouses from Military Families
Examines the behavioral and emotional well-being of a sample of military families over a year as they cope with the stress of war and deployment, using surveys and in-depth interviews with youth and their nondeployed caregivers.
Jan 19, 2011
Journal Article
Developing National Standards for Public Health Emergency Preparedness with a Limited Evidence Base
National performance standards for public health preparedness can be developed based on existing evidence, but would be helped immensely by a stronger evidence base.
Dec 1, 2010
Research Brief
Lessons Learned from Disaster Case Management in Louisiana
Louisiana implemented a disaster case management pilot program five years after the 2005 hurricanes. Challenges in client identification, interagency communication, and invoice approval led to delays; half the expected number of cases were opened.
Jul 20, 2010
Report
National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches: Assessing Program Implementation
Documents the implementation of 15 programs across the country that provide interventions for families in which children have been exposed to violence, with the goal of building knowledge about the effectiveness of specific intervention strategies.
Jun 28, 2010
Report
Navigating the Road to Recovery: Assessment of the Coordination, Communication, and Financing of the Disaster Case Management Pilot in Louisiana
Researchers assessing a disaster case management pilot recommend that future efforts establish better ways to find affected residents, consider needs/vulnerabilities in planning, and ensure continuity of services before, during, and after disaster.
Jun 11, 2010
Report
Bridging the Gap: Developing a Tool to Support Local Civilian and Military Disaster Preparedness
This report describes the current policy context for domestic all-hazards risk-informed capabilities-based planning by local military and civilian authorities and provides a framework for a local planning support tool for their use.
Apr 12, 2010
Testimony
Children on the Homefront: The Experiences of Children from Military Families
Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Military Personnel on March 9, 2010.
Mar 4, 2010
Research Brief
The Teen Depression Awareness Project: Building an Evidence Base for Improving Teen Depression Care
Presents findings from the Teen Depression Awareness Project, which explored how depression affects teens, the factors that influence teens' readiness to seek treatment for depression, and the barriers that teens and parents face when seeking care.
Jan 15, 2010
Draft
Understanding Community Resilience in the Context of National Health Security: A Literature Review
This review lays a foundation for upcoming analyses that will provide a working definition of community resilience, identify activities for building resilience, and offer associated metrics.
Jan 11, 2010
Report
Toolkit for Adapting Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) or Supporting Students Exposed to Trauma (SSET) for Implementation with Youth in Foster Care
Assists school-based mental health professionals, school personnel, and child welfare social workers in adapting two school-based interventions for use with youth in foster care who have symptoms of distress following exposure to trauma.
Jan 4, 2010
Journal Article
Children on the Homefront: The Experience of Children from Military Families
Although studies have begun to explore the impact of the current wars on child well-being, none have examined how children are doing across social, emotional, and academic domains.
2010
Journal Article
Disaster Recovery Also Involves Human Recovery
This commentary argues that unless the U.S. examines and plans for the psychological consequences of disasters such as Katrina and the recent oil spill, communities will be struggling to address acute and chronic health issues while trying to rebuild.
2010
Journal Article
The Impact of Parental Deployment on Child Social and Emotional Functioning: Perspectives of School Staff
Studies the effect of parental deployment on the well-being of children, and whether and how parental deployments affect the behavioral, social, and emotional outcomes of youth in the school setting.
2010
Research Brief
Children's Health in Washington, D.C. Access and Health Challenges Despite High Insurance Coverage Rates
Assesses children's health issues in Washington, D.C., including the health care delivery system and neighborhood health environments.
Oct 28, 2009
Report
The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in Long-Term Human Recovery After Disaster: Reflections From Louisiana Four Years After Hurricane Katrina
Lessons learned and challenges faced by Louisiana NGOs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina serve to inform potential policy changes and future research directions to improve long-term human recovery efforts following future disasters.
Sep 18, 2009
Report
Health and Health Care Among District of Columbia Youth
Assesses health and health care use among youth in Washington, D.C., using a unique combination of survey, administrative, and focus group data, and offers recommendations for addressing District children's health needs.
Sep 18, 2009
Tool
Enhancing Public Health Emergency Preparedness for Special Needs Populations: A Toolkit for State and Local Planning and Response
Presents a toolkit and a Web-based Geographic Information Systems tool meant to help state and local public health agencies improve their emergency preparedness activities for special needs populations.
Sep 8, 2009
Journal Article
Perceived Barriers to Treatment for Adolescent Depression
Adolescent depression is common, disabling, and is associated with academic, social, behavioral, and health consequences. Teens with depression were significantly more likely to perceive barriers to care compared with nondepressed teens. Parents were less likely to report barriers than their teens; perceived stigma and concern about family member response were among the significant teen barriers. Teen perceived barriers scores were negatively associated with any use of antidepressants, use of antidepressants for at least 1 month and any psychotherapy or antidepressant use at 6 months.
Jun 1, 2009
Draft
Analysis of Risk Communication Strategies and Approaches with At-Risk Populations to Enhance Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery: Final Report
Analyzes risk communications and public health messaging strategies and approaches with at-risk populations to enhance emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.
Jan 9, 2009
Journal Article
Impact of Teen Depression on Academic, Social, and Physical Functioning
This study aimed to determine the impact of teen depression on peer, family, school, and physical functioning and the burden on parents.
2009
Journal Article
Improving Treatment Seeking Among Adolescents with Depression: Understanding Readiness for Treatment
To examine readiness for treatment among adolescents with depression in primary care.
2009
Journal Article
Racial/ethnic Differences in Teen and Parent Perspectives Toward Depression Treatment
Latino and African American teens had lower average scores on antidepressant knowledge and counseling knowledge than white teens.
2009
Journal Article
Substance Use and Delinquency Among Fifth Graders Who Have Jobs
Working for pay is associated with substance use and delinquency among older adolescents, although information is scant about younger youth who work. This study investigates associations between self-reports of having a job and substance use and delinquent behaviors in a sample of U.S. 5th graders.
2009
Draft
A Baseline Assessment of the District of Columbia School Health Nursing Program
Describes findings from a baseline assessment of the District of Columbia School Health Nurse Program.
Dec 12, 2008
Research Brief
A Step Forward in Accountability for Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Developing Standards for Mass Antibiotic Dispensing
This fact sheet summarizes the results of a RAND initiative to develop performance standards for distributing antibiotics and other lifesaving medical countermeasures on a large scale within the critical first 48 hours of a public health emergency.
Nov 10, 2008
Research Brief
Exposure to Sex on TV May Increase the Chance of Teen Pregnancy
Offers some practical implications based on the first study to demonstrate a link between exposure to sexual content on TV and subsequently becoming pregnant or being responsible for a pregnancy before the age of 20.
Nov 3, 2008
Report
Recommended Infrastructure Standards for Mass Antibiotic Dispensing
This report presents recommended standards for points of dispensing (or PODs), locations where the public would receive life-saving antibiotics or other medical countermeasures during a large-scale public health emergency.
Sep 29, 2008
Draft
Enhancing Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Management for Vulnerable Populations: Task 4: Compendium of Risk Communications
To assist planning and response efforts for vulnerable populations, the authors created a compendium of communication, outreach, and education materials related to emergency preparedness, response, and recovery for those populations.
Jul 8, 2008
Draft
Enhancing Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Management for Vulnerable Populations: Task 3: Literature Review
Reports on a literature review concerning promising risk communication approaches and messaging strategies to address the communication limitations or barriers facing vulnerable populations before, during, and after a public health emergency.
Jul 7, 2008
Draft
Assessing Health and Health Care in the District of Columbia: Phase 2 Report
Provides recommendations for improving the health care delivery system in the District of Columbia.
Jun 15, 2008
Journal Article
Falling Short: Continued Challenges in Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Children with Special Health Care Needs
High levels of unmet need persist for children with special health care needs in the face of substantial resources that have been committed to improving their care, including the integration of behavioral health into Medicaid managed care.
Jun 1, 2008
Draft
Understanding the Impact of Deployment on Children and Families: Findings from a Pilot Study of Operation Purple Camp Participants
Reports the results of a survey of families attending a summer camp program that children with a deployed parent attend, to learn more about the functioning and well-being of children of deployed military personnel.
May 2, 2008
Draft
Assessing Health and Health Care in the District of Columbia
Study of health and the health care delivery system, including an assessment of emergency medical services, in the District of Columbia.
Jan 14, 2008
Journal Article
Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Care After Treatment for Orofacial Injury at a Large, Urban Medical Center: Concordance of Patient and Provider Perspectives
A substantial proportion of patients have unmet psychosocial needs after facial trauma.
2008
Journal Article
Core Dimensions of Connectivity in Public Health Collaboratives
Uses network theory and social network analysis to outline the core dimensions of connectivity used to develop and measure progress in multiagency public health collaboratives between governmental and nongovernmental sectors.
2008
Journal Article
Does Watching Sex on Television Predict Teen Pregnancy? Findings from a National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
Data from a national survey of teens were used to assess whether exposure to televised sexual content predicted subsequent pregnancy for girls or responsibility for pregnancy for boys. Exposure to televised sexual content predicted teen pregnancy.
2008
Journal Article
Measuring the Performance of Telephone-Based Disease Surveillance Systems in Local Health Departments
Health departments can achieve optimal performance by consistently connecting a caller with an action officer in 30 minutes or less and may improve performance by using a disease surveillance phone system in which a live person answers at all times.
2008
Draft
Enhancing Public Health Preparedness: Exercises, Exemplary Practices, and Lessons Learned, Phase III: Task E: Approaches for Developing a Volunteer Program to Respond to Public Health Emergencies
Lays out strategies and approaches for establishing or expanding a volunteer program to build workforce surge capacity in the event of a public health emergency.
Dec 9, 2007
Draft
Lessons Learned from the State and Local Public Health Response to Hurricane Katrina
Collects and synthesizes the public health lessons learned from the response to Hurricane Katrina so that public health agencies can learn from the experience and improve their preparedness.
Sep 16, 2007
Draft
Improving and Enhancing Telephone-based Disease Surveillance Systems in Local Health Departments
This report presents the findings of a project designed to identify system-level characteristics associated with consistently timely responses in telephone-based disease surveillance systems in local health departments.
Apr 11, 2007
Journal Article
Factors That Influence Mental Health Stigma Among 8th Grade Adolescents
In-depth interviews with 8th grade students in a suburban, mid-Atlantic community portray adolescent mental health attitudes and how these views are shaped.
2007
Journal Article
Pediatricians' Perspectives Regarding Community Child Health: Training, Involvement, and Expectations According to Age
There are increasing opportunities for pediatricians to promote children's health through community involvement during and after residency training.
2007
Report
Exploring Stress and Coping Among Urban African American Adolescents: The Shifting the Lens Study
Explore perceptions of stress, sources of social support, and use of coping strategies among urban African American ninth graders.
2006
Journal Article
Stigma Starts Early: Gender Differences in Teen Willingness to Use Mental Health Services
To explore gender differences and the role of stigma in teen willingness to use mental health services.
2006

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Quoted

We…wanted to see whether living through a once-in-a-century global pandemic would spur a shift in deep-seated perspectives and attitudes around health, systemic racism, and equity. We found that views around race and racism appear to be extremely entrenched. Moving forward, policies and actions that seek to address these issues must factor in where the public is and what needs to happen for these sentiments to evolve.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Communities that are historically vulnerable or have less access to certain kinds of economic and social resources often bear the disproportionate brunt [of disasters]. We worry about this kind of overlapping sequence of short- and long-term climate-induced disaster because it has a compounding effect that makes it harder and harder to recover in the long term.
Source: USA Today