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The CESR/Schaeffer Center for the Study of Health Inequality (CSHI) aims to support, disseminate and communicate research on the causes of health inequality. Topics of interest to CSHI are the substantial disparities in health, human capital (e.g., education), and economic outcomes between socioeconomic groups; and the role of early childhood endowments, circumstances and parental investments in explaining later-life health disparities. An important focus of the center is to make use of recent advances in genetics to inform economic analyses, such as, for example, studies of gene-by-environment (GxE) interplay in influencing health outcomes, such as unhealthy behaviors, mortality, late-life cognition, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The Center aims to develop integrated approaches to these issues, developing theory to explain empirical findings and make predictions, and conduct empirical structural- as well as reduced-form analyses. The center brings together researchers from various disciplines within the University of Southern California’s research community as well as distinguished researchers from outside USC, in such fields as economics (of health, human capital, and labor), epidemiology, psychology, demography, gerontology, public health, biology and genetics. The center seeks to stimulate collaboration and communication between CSHI researchers and develop an infrastructure for its members and the broader research community. The center also seeks to inform policy makers and the general public to raise awareness and assist policy making. CSHI members actively pursue sources of funding for the center, such as from foundations, to support its activities. Initial support was provided by CESR and by a National Institute on Aging K02 award (K02 AG042452).

For more information, please visit our website.

To learn more or join our mailing list, please contact our Director, Titus Galama.

Our research in the news

Find a blog post here that describes the kinds of research questions CSHI explores. 

Kevin Thom's research presented in The Washington Poshere

USC Polygenic Prediction and its Application in Social Science Conference, April 2017 

Link to USC polygenic conference program and recorded talks

Link to USC polygenic conference slides

USC Polygenic Prediction and its Application in Social Science Conference, December 2018 

Link to USC polygenic conference program and recorded talks