Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Policy Lab

The mission of PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is to achieve optimal child health and well-being by informing program and policy changes through interdisciplinary research. PolicyLab is a Center of Emphasis within Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, one of the largest pediatric research institutes in the country. At PolicyLab, our experience caring for children and families informs our 'evidence to action' approach to improving children's health. Founded in 2008, PolicyLab researches, develops, and implements evidence-based solutions that are responsive to community needs and relevant to child health policy priorities. Collaboration with practitioners, families, and policymakers is imperative throughout our research process because we know we cannot achieve improved youth health outcomes by ourselves. And since research articles on their own are unlikely to produce change, our dedicated team of communications and policy professionals is invested in translating our work into digestible information for a broad array of program and policy audiences with a focus on providing community leaders, stakeholders, and decision-makers with the critical guidance, tools, and technical assistance needed to build capacity for high-quality care. From problem identification through implementation and evaluation, our work is designed to advance the science on children's health and support partners in turning evidence-based and best practice examples into actionable program and policy approaches. Some of our partnerships have included local, state and federal agencies and policymakers; peer research centers; advocacy groups; school districts; foundations; professional organizations; adult health care settings; other children’s hospitals; and communities. Our work includes: policy analyses and briefs, population needs assessments, consultation and technical assistance, program implementation and evaluation, and expert testimony and commentary. Director David Rubin, MD, MSCE, and Scientific Director Meredith Matone, DrPH, MHS, lead a team of more than 30 faculty and instructors and 60 staff who are experts in medicine, public health, social work, psychology, law, biostatistics, health services research and population health. Our work is focused in five areas: adolescent health and well-being, behavioral health, health care coverage, access and quality, health equity and intergenerational family services. The wide array of projects within those portfolios include topics such as immigrant and refugee health, sexual and reproductive health, transgender health outcomes, children’s health insurance, health and technology, family support in pediatric settings and integration of behavioral health services into community settings. We also provide our own funding to launch innovative research projects through a pilot grant program in collaboration with the Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness. Our work is guided by PolicyLab’s 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, which outlines our vision and goals of conducting high-impact research, increasing our capacity to create meaningful policy change and maintaining strong relationships with our partners. PolicyLab prioritizes diversity in every aspect of our organization and has a commitment to hiring and engaging in partnerships to create an environment that is reflective of the diverse communities we serve. To see our Diversity and Inclusion Statement click here, and for a comprehensive overview of PolicyLab, be sure to read our brochure.