Applying novel approaches for improving social determinants of health and addressing long-term structural poverty and inequality in the United States.
About
Prosperity in the United States is distributed unevenly. Deep and persistent levels of economic, social, and health inequalities throughout the nation negatively shape health and socioeconomic outcomes, particularly in communities facing long-term structural poverty and inequality.
The Center for Community Health Innovation (CCHI) and partners at the McCourt School of Public Policy are drawing upon examples from low- and middle-income countries that have pioneered initiatives to strengthen social determinant-based economic and population health outcomes.
In 2025-2026, CCHI will co-host a series of in-person and virtual dialogues to adapt innovative programs and interventions from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, and South Africa to localities in the United States. In developing a reverse innovation model for importing – rather than exporting – interventions for improving social determinants of health, we will create an analytic tool for U.S. policymakers that would enable future adaptation and implementation for similar programs.
Featured Event
In October 2025, CCHI — in partnership with the McCourt School of Public Policy — convened its first meeting on “Global Perspectives in Reverse Innovation” at Georgetown University as part of a year-long cross-national dialogue series.
The event featured CCHI directors, Jennifer Li and Sara Hoverter; Professor Michele Bratcher Goodwin; Professor Bradley Hardy; McCourt faculty, practitioners from the case studies; and experts in U.S. domestic policy, including elected officials, representatives from local government associations, and community-based organizations.
