The CUNY Institute for Health Equity (CIHE) was established at Lehman College by the CUNY Board of Trustees in 2009.

Herbert H. Lehman College is the only senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY) located in the Bronx, the poorest borough of New York City and the second poorest county in New York State. Lehman is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and it is CUNY’s only senior college with a Hispanic majority undergraduate student population (52.5%) and a significant Black student population (33.2%).

The College is committed to serving as an engine of upward mobility by providing opportunities for applied and experiential learning and career engagement for its students. The need for applied learning is especially acute in the Hispanic community and CIHE is poised to play an important role in increasing faculty and student research engagement that promotes student retention throughout the college.

Since its beginnings, CIHE has focused on the social determinants that affect the physical and mental health of New York City’s poor and underserved racial and ethnic populations. The Institute has always been committed to assuring the participation of faculty and students from across CUNY campuses, to programs in public health and other disciplines, and to collaboration with non-profit and community-based organizations. CIHE aims to be a hub for research collaborations locally, nationally, and internationally where we cultivate health disparities and health equity research that is meaningful for urban cities. We aim to be a model of innovative research that promotes rigorous research science that benefits our local community and beyond.

In 2020, CIHE is proud to embrace leadership support to embark on a collaborative Strategic Planning process amongst distinguished faculty across CUNY that will determine the direction and focus of the Institute over the next 5 to 10 years. The collaborative nature of CIHE makes the Institute a unique platform to develop science and enrich educational programs. CIHE is positioned within the School of Health Sciences, Human Services and Nursing at Lehman College which places the Institute in an excellent position to promote faculty and student scholarship, enhance experiential learning, and cultivate student researchers that will pursue to graduate education and make scientific contributions to the field.

Mission Statement

The CUNY Institute for Health Equity is to serve as a CUNY-wide locus of scholarly and applied work that contributes to the preparation of a cadre of faculty, students and community leaders that understand the social determinants of health and disease and encourage their collaboration to achieve health equity.

Strategic Plan 2021-2026