UTC investment plans to make Chattanooga 'one of the healthiest' cities in the country
Fletcher Hall on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus is home of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business. (Photo by Angela Foster/UTC)
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will use a $3.5 million gift from the Journey Health Foundation to establish a Research Center for Health and Economic Analytics within the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.
According to a recent announcement, the establishment of the new center will mark a “major step in the use of data-driven research to combat long-standing health care disparities in the region.” The announcement said the new Journey Health Foundation Research Center will focus its work on health and economic analytics, which aligns with the foundation’s mission to better understand and address social determinants of health that affect underserved communities in Chattanooga.
“Journey Health Foundation is committed to transforming Chattanooga from one of the least healthy and unequal cities in the country to one of the healthiest,” Tracy Wood, CEO of Journey Health Foundation, said in a statement. “Strategic and data-backed interventions are the tools we will use to close gaps in health care and make that vision a reality. Deepening UTC’s research capabilities through this partnership allows all of us to use data in transformative new ways, and we are excited to get to work.”
Hemant Jain, the center’s director, said he hopes the center’s work will serve as a “role model for other areas across the country.”
“The motivation behind this initiative is to address and reduce health disparities in the greater Chattanooga area and drive economic growth. Currently, Chattanooga ranks low in economic and health equity. The center and Journey Health Foundation will work with community partners to use data-driven research to address these long-standing health and economic disparities in the Chattanooga region,” he told Tennessee Firefly.
“The region’s growing healthcare industry will help provide the healthcare expertise to address these disparities. Through the center, we will provide access to reliable, data to help address important economic and healthcare challenges.”
According to the announcement, $2.25 million will be used to establish and operate the Journey Health Foundation Research Center for Health and Economic Analytics. The remaining $1.25 million will be used to fund a master research grant program to support innovative research and data analytics projects led by the center. A Board of Managers, appointed jointly by the Rollins College of Business and Journey Health Foundation, will oversee the management of these grants.
“UTC’s Rollins College of Business is dedicated to fostering future leaders and problem solvers through hands-on, data-driven learning experiences, which makes this the ideal home for this new research center,” Dr. Robert Dooley, dean of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, said in a statement. “The center will provide opportunities for our students to work with outstanding faculty on meaningful, impactful research. We are honored at the trust that Tracy and the Journey Health Foundation board are placing with us and proud of the contributions we can make to improving health and quality of life across our city.”
Jain said the center aims to “enhance the teaching, research and service mission of the Department of Data Analytics in the Rollins College of Business.” He noted that the center will “provide a valuable data source” for faculty in the College of Business, as well as for research in other areas like public health, social work, computer science and more.
“The central mission of the center is to acquire, collect, and curate data related to social determinants of health and economic disparities in the greater Chattanooga region. The center will partner with Journey Health Foundation, local governments, greater Chattanooga area organizations, and other entities and individuals to conduct and publish research related to health and economic disparities and evaluate various approaches to address them,” Jain said.
“The center activities will provide graduate and undergraduate students from across the UTC campus opportunities to work on meaningful, impactful, real-world projects in our community.”
The announcement said the Journey Health Foundation Research Center for Health and Economic Analytics will have a temporary office in Fletcher Hall until construction is complete on the college’s 81,000-square-foot expansion.
