Research Centers

ANNENBERG PUBLIC POLICY CENTER

The Annenberg Public Policy Center has been the premier communication policy center in the country since its founding in 1993. By conducting and releasing research, staging conferences, and hosting policy discussions, its scholars address the role of communication in politics, adolescent behavior, child development, health care, civics, and mental health, among other important arenas.

BOETTNER CENTER FOR PENSIONS AND RETIREMENT RESEARCH

The Boettner Center supports scholarly research, teaching, and outreach on global aging, successful retirement, and public and private pensions; disseminates its research findings to international audiences of academics and policy-makers alike; and supports data development efforts at the University of Pennsylvania.

CENTER FOR CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY & BIOSTATISTICS

CCEB organizes and supports research initiatives to assess the frequency, outcome, prognosis, etiology, treatment, prevention, diagnosis, costs, and policy implications of disease. CCEB aims to be a leader in disseminating research results and interpreting research to policy-makers and the public, and to serve as a resource for communities, universities, governments, and other organizations seeking guidance about issues of population medicine, public health, and the epidemiology of disease.

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY

The mission of the CEET is to determine the links between environmental exposures and diseases of environmental origin, thus promoting early diagnosis and prevention strategies, and ultimately, the improvement of environmental health and medicine in urban areas. CEET disseminates its research findings to community organizations and local, state, and federal officials and agencies to affect change in environmental health and public health policies.

CENTER FOR HEALTH INCENTIVES AND BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS

CHIBE is one of two NIH-funded Centers in Behavioral Economics & Health in the United States. CHIBE researchers apply concepts from the field of behavioral economics to design, implement, and evaluate interventions that improve health and build knowledge about the efficacy, cost, and effectiveness of health care practices and programs.

CENTER FOR HEALTH OUTCOMES AND POLICY RESEARCH

Based in Penn’s School of Nursing, CHOPR studies the outcomes of health care and health workforce policy, with the aim of producing research evidence to improve the quality of health care.

CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT AND PATIENT SAFETY

Through its research, CHIPS aims to design, implement, and evaluate healthcare system interventions to improve quality and patient safety. It also seeks to disseminate its research findings widely, utilizing the broadest range of outlets available, so the potential benefits can maximized. 

CENTER FOR HUMAN RESOURCES

CHR conducts research on a broad range of topics related to human resources and talent management. Areas of research include public policy, human resource management, equal employment opportunity, diversity and demographic issues, labor policy in the US and abroad, and workforce quality.

CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH POLICY AND SERVICES RESEARCH

CMHPSR studies the organization, financing, and management structure of mental health care systems and the delivery of mental health services, so as to support those individuals and programs involved in implementing policy change. The center’s ultimate objective is to link the best research and evaluation findings to policy decisions and the delivery of mental health services.

CENTER FOR NEUROSCIENCE & SOCIETY

CNS is a comprehensive source of information and research about the emerging ethical, legal, political, and social implications of neuroscience, including ethical problems and policy questions raised by advances in functional neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, brain implants, and brain/machine interfaces.

FIELD CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S WELFARE, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH

The Field Center is a collaboration between Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice, School of Law, Perelman School of Medicine, and School of Nursing, and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The Center combines the efforts of multiple disciplines and perspectives to creatively address critical issues facing the child welfare system, including policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels.

JERRY LEE CENTER OF CRIMINOLOGY

The mission of the Jerry Lee Center of Criminology is to produce major discoveries about the causes and prevention of crime, with implications on how to shape policy to make a safer and more democratic world. 

LEONARD DAVIS INSTITUTE OF HEALTH ECONOMICS

LDI was founded in 1967, two years after Congress enacted Medicare. It was created to fill fundamental gaps in the evidence base that could inform policies critical to the financing and management of the nation’s increasingly costly and complex health care system. Today, LDI is among the pioneers in interdisciplinary health services research that has helped guide health policies at all levels of government and in the private sector and has influenced how health care is organized, financed, managed, and delivered. 

PENN INSTITUTE FOR URBAN RESEARCH

The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) is dedicated to advancing cross-disciplinary urban-focused research, instruction, and civic engagement on issues relevant to cities around the world. As the global population becomes increasingly urban, understanding cities is vital to informed decision-making and public policy at the local, national, and international levels. Penn IUR focuses on research that informs the sustainable and inclusive twenty-first-century city. By providing a forum for collaborative scholarship and instruction at Penn and beyond, Penn IUR stimulates research and engages with urban practitioners and policymakers to inform urban policy. 

POPULATION STUDIES CENTER

While PSC focuses on the production of high-quality research on demography (the study of the growth and structure of populations), over time it has expended its research sphere to emphasize other related themes: the health and well-being of populations, human resources and endowments, international population research, growth and structure of populations, as well as policy evaluation. 

RISK MANAGEMENT AND DECISION PROCESSES CENTER

The Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the Wharton School is at the forefront of basic and applied research to promote effective corporate and public policies for low-probability events with potentially catastrophic consequences. The Center focuses on natural and technological hazards, as well as national security issues such as terrorism risk insurance and the protection of critical infrastructure.

SOCIAL SCIENCE AND POLICY FORUM

The Penn Social Science and Policy Forum is the university hub for scholarly research on key social, economic, legal, and policy problems confronting the United States and the world, fostering cutting edge scholarship across the social sciences. It serves as a conduit to disseminate knowledge to diverse audiences through workshops, public lectures, annual conferences, working papers, and scholarly articles, and books (through a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Press). The Forum embodies Penn’s commitment to integrating knowledge across the university and Penn’s long history of supporting engaged scholarship in the public interest.

SAMUEL ZELL AND ROBERT LURIE REAL ESTATE CENTER

The Zell/Lurie Center promotes and funds scholarly research on topics of interest to the real estate industry, including applied research with a particular emphasis on housing policy, urban policy, and real estate industry policy. 

CAROL AND LAWRENCE ZICKLIN CENTER FOR BUSINESS ETHICS RESEARCH

The Zicklin Center sponsors and disseminates cutting-edge research on critical topics in business ethics. It provides students, educators, business leaders, and policy-makers with research to meet the ethical, governance, and compliance challenges that arise in complex business transactions.