Welcome To CDHS

The Center for Drug and Health Studies was established at the University of Delaware in 1991 (formerly, the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies) and facilitates collaborative and engaging primary research on substance use disorders, behavioral health, health risk behaviors, and justice system policy and responses among social and behavioral science faculty, professional staff, undergraduate student interns, and graduate students. Administratively housed in the University’s Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, the Center is funded predominantly through sponsored research grants and contracts [1], and is committed to achieve levels of excellence, intensity, and breadth in its research. The Center provides a national research focus as well as service to the State of Delaware.

The Center was renamed in 2014 to reflect a broader portfolio including health as a priority area. The principal mission of the Center for Drug and Health Studies is the utilization, production, and dissemination of scientific knowledge related to substance use disorders, health risk behaviors, and justice system responses to inform program and intervention development as well as policy implementation. The Center promotes the use of data and analysis to support healthy communities in Delaware and beyond.

An introduction to our services can be found here. Other Center objectives include:

  • Train graduate and undergraduate students to comprehend, conduct, and explain substance use, health-oriented, and justice system research and evaluation;
  • Serve as a research information repository related to substance use disorders, health risk behaviors, and justice system responses for students and colleagues seeking quantitative and qualitative data for secondary analysis;
  • Provide technical assistance to students, colleagues, and local organization and agency personnel seeking grant support for program development and/or evaluation.
  • Sponsor lecture and colloquia series, workshops, and conferences for members of the professional community, University staff and students, and the public at large;
  • Build collaboration with practitioners by evaluating, translating, and disseminating research knowledge to the community. CDHS participates in the Community Engagement Initiative (http://sites.udel.edu/engage/).

[1] Other sources of support include: the CDHS Director’s salary as a faculty member in the Department and office rental expenses paid by the Department and the College of Arts and Sciences.