CHDR team photo

About Us

Established in 2005, the MUSC Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR) focuses on research, training, and outreach surrounding racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and rural/urban disparities in health.

Based in Charleston, SC, the CHDR has emerged as one of the leading centers of its kind. South Carolina has many rural communities where chronic health problems are compounded by poor access to medical care. The state’s rate for diabetes is one of the highest in the country, and our citizens face many other challenges, including: heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and stroke. Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health, seen throughout the US and the world, are also visible in Charleston, providing our team with many ways of understanding the factors that perpetuate health care disparities.

Our research team works to develop effective ways to eliminate disparities related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rural/urban disparities and to improve care for everyone. We also offer a number of training opportunities to grow the next generation of disparities researchers and do outreach to educate the community on finding solutions to the health problems we all face.

We seek to understand and eliminate health disparities and inequities through research, education, training, and outreach.

Who We Are

  • CHDR investigators are supported by research staff members, including faculty, research nurse coordinators, biostatisticians, and program assistants. We also engage medical and graduate students in short-term programs and encourage them to continue with health disparities research in their future careers.
  • The CHDR was begun at MUSC in 2005 by Dr. Leonard Egede, who led the department for 12 years.

Dr. William Moran currently serves as the Interim Director of CHDR.