Center for Health and the Social Sciences

For more than 75 years, the University of Chicago has been a leader in fostering interdisciplinary research and training at the interface of health and the social sciences. The Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CHeSS), founded in 2005, continues this legacy by supporting interdisciplinary health research and training initiatives across campus.

CHeSS is both a place and an idea. Our facilities comprise over 10,000 square feet of dedicated offices, conference rooms, and research facilities in the heart of the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus. Our goal is to support and promote innovation and excellence in research, scholarship, training, and collaboration.

CHeSS sponsors regular seminars and workshops throughout the year, and brings to campus national leaders to speak on topics ranging from new drug discovery and regulation to legal and policy issues around national health care reform. Our faculty associates come from virtually all schools and divisions on campus, and collectively help to define CHeSS’s identity as an incubator of ideas and support for research in health and the social sciences on campus. Our staff is available to help write grants and fundraising proposals, brainstorm and coordinate the launch of new research initiatives and projects, and provide expert research methods consultation during both formative and operational phases of work.