CHEER


  • CHEER Executive Director, Dr. Shelley White-Means, featured in October 2015 pink issue of Commercial Appeal. Memphis’ breast cancer disparity is described

    CHEER Executive Director, Dr. Shelley White-Means, featured in October 2015 pink issue of Commercial Appeal. Memphis’ breast cancer disparity is described

  • Dr. Michelle Taylor gives presentation, "Getting Ahead, How does Education Affect My Health" to Upward-Bound students at LeMoyne-Owen College.

    Dr. Michelle Taylor gives presentation, "Getting Ahead, How does Education Affect My Health" to Upward-Bound students at LeMoyne-Owen College.

  • STEP UP teens are fighting against Health Disparities.

    STEP UP teens are fighting against Health Disparities.

  • CHEER presents research at the "2012 Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities; Building A Healthier Society Integrating Science, Policy, and Practice."

    CHEER presents research at the "2012 Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities; Building A Healthier Society Integrating Science, Policy, and Practice."

  • Dr. White-Means is presenting "What is CHEER doing to address Health Disparities?" in CHEER seminar.

    Dr. White-Means is presenting "What is CHEER doing to address Health Disparities?" in CHEER seminar.

  • Dr.Wicks is giving her presentation "Effect of an INSIGHT Depression Intervention for Caregivers of Hemodialysis Patients Description"

    Dr.Wicks is giving her presentation "Effect of an INSIGHT Depression Intervention for Caregivers of Hemodialysis Patients Description"

  • Faith-based Initiatives to Promote Healthy Eating - Speaker: Dr. Michael O. Minor, national champion of faith-based health & wellness mobilization. Known as the "Southern pastor who banned fried chicken in his church."

    Faith-based Initiatives to Promote Healthy Eating - Speaker: Dr. Michael O. Minor, national champion of faith-based health & wellness mobilization. Known as the "Southern pastor who banned fried chicken in his church."

  • Patricia Cowan, Ph.D, discusses how a small change in your daily diet can control weight gain, and how parental obesity can also be associated with childhood obesity

    Patricia Cowan, Ph.D, discusses how a small change in your daily diet can control weight gain, and how parental obesity can also be associated with childhood obesity

  • Seminar: The Crisis Center and Memphis Mental Health Resources - Speaker: Mike LaBonte, MA. Mike is Executive Director of the Richard G. Farmer and Allen O. Battle Crisis Center. 12-6-11

    Seminar: The Crisis Center and Memphis Mental Health Resources - Speaker: Mike LaBonte, MA. Mike is Executive Director of the Richard G. Farmer and Allen O. Battle Crisis Center. 12-6-11

  • Seminar: "Comparison of Fresh Food Access in the US and Denmark: Exploring Complementary Public Policy and Private Lifestyles" - Speaker: Sharon Bush Pedersen, PhD from Denmark

    Seminar: "Comparison of Fresh Food Access in the US and Denmark: Exploring Complementary Public Policy and Private Lifestyles" - Speaker: Sharon Bush Pedersen, PhD from Denmark

  • Finalists for the Memphis Business Jounal's Health Care Hero Award include Dr. White-Means, recognizing CHEER's contributions to improving health care through community outreach.

    Finalists for the Memphis Business Jounal's Health Care Hero Award include Dr. White-Means, recognizing CHEER's contributions to improving health care through community outreach.

  • Shelley White-Means, PhD and Melvin Jones at the Black Business Directory (BBD) release ceremony

    Shelley White-Means, PhD and Melvin Jones at the Black Business Directory (BBD) release ceremony

  • Dr. Leon Caldwell speaks to seminar attendees about CBPR

    Dr. Leon Caldwell speaks to seminar attendees about CBPR

  • 2011 Annual CHEER Spring Conference attendees listens as speakers address issues and provides solutions to health disparities

    2011 Annual CHEER Spring Conference attendees listens as speakers address issues and provides solutions to health disparities

  • Melvin Jones gives BBD plaque to CHEER Exec. Dir. Shelley White-Means, PhD and UTHSC Executive Vice Chancellor Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE

    Melvin Jones gives BBD plaque to CHEER Exec. Dir. Shelley White-Means, PhD and UTHSC Executive Vice Chancellor Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE

  • Leon Caldwell, PhD receives the Community Based Participatory Research Award at the 2011 Annual CHEER Spring Conference

    Leon Caldwell, PhD receives the Community Based Participatory Research Award at the 2011 Annual CHEER Spring Conference

  • Brian Smedley, PhD speaks at the 2011 Annual CHEER Spring Conference attendees about "Connecting Social Conditions and Health"

    Brian Smedley, PhD speaks at the 2011 Annual CHEER Spring Conference attendees about "Connecting Social Conditions and Health"

  • CHEER Executive Director Shelley White-Means featured in the Commercial Appeal. Read the article, South Memphis Section Hungers for Food Store.

    CHEER Executive Director Shelley White-Means featured in the Commercial Appeal. Read the article, South Memphis Section Hungers for Food Store.

  • At his seminar, "The Hip Hop Doc" aka Rani Whitfield, MD addresses the crowd about how hip hop can be used to reach populations affected by health disparities.

    At his seminar, "The Hip Hop Doc" aka Rani Whitfield, MD addresses the crowd about how hip hop can be used to reach populations affected by health disparities.

  • CHEER featured in August 26 Memphis Flyer.

    CHEER featured in August 26 Memphis Flyer.

The Consortium for Health Education, Economic Empowerment and Research (CHEER) is a community-based participatory health disparities research center funded by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities. CHEER has as its primary mission to: engage in community-based collaborations to accomplish research and incorporate the role of community assets and personal economic efficacy in order to drive healthy lifestyles for at risk persons of all racial and ethnic backgrounds in Memphis and the Mississippi Delta region. We expect these efforts to result in new and innovative approaches to address high rates of chronic illnesses for persons who live in the Delta region and to mitigate racial/ethnic inequities in health status.

CHEER has four specific aims:

  1. To inform the design of intervention strategies aimed at reducing population health disparities by developing outcomes measures and monitoring signals to assess progress in impacting health of urban African-American and immigrant populations in Memphis and surrounding Delta regions of poverty;
  2. To develop and implement transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and inter-institutional basic, behavioral, clinical, and population-based research on health disparities.
  3. To actively engage community representatives and health-care providers in collaboratively setting priorities for research, outreach and assessing activities that address health disparities; and
  4. To attract, retain and educate trans-disciplinary professionals sensitive to the need to prepare, disseminate, and implement use of culturally relevant and research-based health education materials and interventions in work in Memphis and the surrounding Delta region.

The CHEER Partnership

CHEER Partnership Diagram

The CHEER Partnership is a partnership of seven organizations who work together to develop, share, and implement research priorities that impact minority health and reduce health inequities. The organizations include the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital, LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC), the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department (MSCHD), Memphis Housing Authority (MHA), First Baptist Church Lauderdale (FBCL), and Mustard Seed Inc (MS).

Funding for the CHEER website was made possible (in part) by 1P20MD005118-01 from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparitiesexternal link. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers or moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

View the CHEER partners and affiliate partners chart Opens in Acrobat.

Contact Us

66 N. Pauline, Suite 307
Memphis, TN 38105
Phone: 901-448-7666
Fax: 901-448-1640