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NORC at the University Chicago

UCLA Data Equity Center Technical Assistance

Two professionals looking at a laptop in an office
Supporting collection, imputation, weighting, analysis, and dissemination of data to promote health equity
  • Client
    University of California, Los Angeles, Data Equity Center
  • Dates
    January 2024 – Present

Problem

Government agencies, advocates, and other entities often lack the data and analytical skills to improve health equity.

Historically marginalized groups are often not well-represented in population health data due to their small sizes, how data collection instruments and systems are designed and implemented, and the need to maintain individuals’ privacy. This results in some population groups not being adequately represented in the data organizations use to design and implement health equity initiatives. In addition, those organizations do not always have the necessary knowledge, expertise, or financial resources to improve their data systems.

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, UCLA’s Data Equity Center created a consortium of technical assistance providers to help organizations nationwide to equitably collect, analyze, report, and disseminate population health data to support health equity.  

Solution

NORC is providing resources and technical assistance grounded in evidence-based, equitable, and culturally responsive practices.

The resources and support NORC will provide the UCLA Data Equity Center cover a range of topics including:

  • Qualitative and quantitative design, testing, implementation, and analysis
  • Identifying, using, and linking different data sources
  • Inclusive and equitable research methods
  • Community engagement
  • Culturally responsive and equitable evaluation methods
  • Sampling, weighting, small-area estimation
  • Social media monitoring and analysis
  • Modeling and AI bias
  • Identifying and using public sources of data, e.g., federal, state, and local datasets
  • Analysis, reporting, communication, and dissemination 

Result

NORC’s efforts will help organizations nationwide pursue more data-informed health equity efforts.  

In the first several months of the project, we have already helped UCLA expand the Data Equity Center’s resource library and begun work on several trainings and workshops related to data analysis, imputation, and weighting that will improve the data skills and capacity of government agencies, advocates, and other entities.

Project Leads

"NORC is proud to be part of this important effort by the UCLA Data Equity Center to improve health equity by increasing data equity. By sharing our knowledge and expertise around innovative and equitable research methods, analytical tools, and dissemination approaches, we can support organizations nationwide to improve health for all people."

Barbara Fernandez

Associate Director

"NORC is proud to be part of this important effort by the UCLA Data Equity Center to improve health equity by increasing data equity. By sharing our knowledge and expertise around innovative and equitable research methods, analytical tools, and dissemination approaches, we can support organizations nationwide to improve health for all people."

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