Connecting Georgia College & State University with the communities we serve.
The Center for Health & Social Issues (CHSI) at Georgia College & State University brings together students, faculty, healthcare professionals, community organizations, and local partners to address the health and social issues that matter most to Central Georgia.
Through collaboration, education, research, and community engagement, CHSI works to create meaningful opportunities that improve health and strengthen the communities we call home. From bringing healthcare resources directly into the community to educating individuals about important health concerns, we believe lasting change begins when we work together.
Our Mission
The purpose of the Center for Health & Social Issues is to improve the health and well-being of residents throughout Central Georgia through collaborative campus and community partnerships. We advance this mission by providing opportunities for research, education, outreach, and engagement focused on contemporary health challenges and social issues.
Our Vision for a Healthier Community
We believe health extends beyond the absence of illness. Physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being are interconnected, and each plays an important role in helping individuals and communities thrive. Guided by this holistic view of health, CHSI focuses its efforts on four strategic goals:
Reduce Health & Social Disparities
Work to address inequities and barriers that impact the health and well-being of individuals and communities throughout Central Georgia.
Strengthen Campus & Community Partnerships
Build and enhance meaningful partnerships between Georgia College & State University and organizations, professionals, and communities across the region.
Create & Sustain Healthy Communities
Develop and support initiatives that empower individuals and communities to make lasting, positive changes in their health and quality of life.
Advance Evidence-Informed Health & Social Policy
Promote the use of research, evidence, and informed decision-making to address health and social issues and strengthen policies that impact our communities.
Together, these goals guide CHSI in turning knowledge into action and partnerships into meaningful community impact. As an institution of higher learning, Georgia College & State University has a responsibility to use its knowledge and resources to make a positive difference. CHSI brings these resources beyond campus by connecting academic expertise with community needs to promote healthier individuals, stronger partnerships, and a healthier Central Georgia.
Research. Education. Collaboration. Community Impact.
Together, we can build healthier communities and create lasting change.
CHSI Team
Center for Health & Social Issues
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Damian K. Francis
Associate Professor - Public Health and Director - Center for Health & Social Issues
Ph.D., Epidemiology, University of the West Indies
Biography
Dr. Damian K. Francis is a Nutritionist and Epidemiologist trained at the Caribbean Institute for Health Research, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Dr. Francis is the Director of the Center for Health & Social Issues at Georgia College & State University. He is an Emerging Leader of the Americas Programme (ELAP) scholar, completing a research fellowship in knowledge synthesis and knowledge translation at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Francis is the founder of the Cochrane Caribbean and currently serves as adjunct faculty for the World Health Organization (WHO)/Cochrane/Cornell Summer Institute for systematic reviews in nutrition for global policymaking. He serves both the Pan American Health Organization and as a member of the Essential Medicine List expert panel. Dr. Francis is an Assistant Editor for the Campbell Collaboration Nutrition Sub-group of the International Development Coordinating Group. He enjoys teaching epidemiology, translational research methods and mentoring students in research. Dr. Francis has a track record of excellence in research publication which has focused on the epidemiology of chronic non-communicable diseases among people of Afro-Caribbean heritage with an emphasis on health equity, systematic reviews of interventions, and the food environment as a risk factor for diseases.
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Ivey Breland
Research Fellow - Center for Health & Social Issues
