Research and Evaluation

NNPHI staff and its member institutes have extensive experience in implementing evaluation systems for a wide variety of public health programs at the local, state, and national levels across a variety of public health topics, including:

Tobacco-free living
Nutrition, physical activity, obesity and food safety
Built environment
Performance management and quality improvement
Health information technology/ health informatics
Primary care health systems development

Collectively, our work in evaluation and monitoring contributes to program development, continuous quality improvement, effectiveness, and accountability. A network-wide commitment to translation and dissemination of research and evaluation findings leads to improved public health practice and community health.

From collaboration on program design to the translation and dissemination of research and evaluation findings, NNPHI and its members are involved in all aspects of program monitoring and evaluation.

NNPHI Research and Evaluation Programs:

Public Health Services and Systems Research: Since 2009, NNPHI has served as the administrative support office (ASO) for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) program. As the ASO, we facilitate several PHSSR call for proposals and provide technical assistance to applicants and grantees.
Evaluation of the National Public Health Improvement Initiative: In collaboration with colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support (OSTLTS) and national partners, NNPHI has and will continue to implement evaluation strategies to examine the achievements and impact of the National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII). The focus of the evaluation is to examine the NPHII investment and its initial impact on increased efficiencies of business and program operations; increased use of evidence-based policies and practices; and increased readiness for applying to and achieving accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).

Institutes in Action: Public Health Institutes Engaging in Research and Evaluation:

Many public health institutes have robust and diverse research and evaluation divisions and provide programmatic evaluation, as well as translation of existing data sources, to inform health programs and policy. NNPHI is pleased to showcase several examples of member institutes engaging in public health research and evaluation.