Health

Improving the health of people in the U.S. and abroad



Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, M.D., Director, Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions, on the Rewards of Treating Patients with Addiction

Read our Q&A with Dr. Salisbury Afshar >>

AIR seeks to improve people’s lives and communities by addressing all aspect of health and well-being—physical, social, emotional, and mental—from the earliest years through later in life. Our work covers a broad range of areas, including the treatment and prevention of diseases; strategies for addressing the opioid epidemic and other substance use disorders; reducing violence and human trafficking; and improving health systems, patient care, and public outreach and communications.

AIR research and evaluation experts study the implementation and effectiveness of health and well-being initiatives and programs to provide much-needed evidence to inform the field. Through our policy, practice, and systems change work, we help policymakers, leaders, and practitioners develop and implement local strategies and initiatives to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.

Latest Work

Image of Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar
10 Jun 2019
Video

Tackling the Opioid Epidemic Through Research and Patient Care

Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, director of AIR’s Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES) and a practicing physician at Heartland Alliance Health in Chicago, discusses her personal experience in treating patients with addiction and how research can help tackle the opioid epidemic.
28 May 2019
Q & A

A Quick Word With: Patricia Campie on a Rare, Longitudinal Study of School Violence

Patricia Campie is a criminologist with more than 20 years of experience leading community-based research, evaluation, and implementation science initiatives. She is the principal investigator for the Research on Lowering Violence in Schools and Communities (ReSOLV) project, a five-year longitudinal study of the root causes of school violence and community, school, and individual capacities to address them. Here she answers some questions about the project.
17 May 2019
Book

AIR Reads: A Sampling of Books by AIR Board Members, Fellows, and Staff Members

Making the world a better and more informed place drives AIR board members, fellows, and staff. These recent books examine pressing issues in depth, drawing on the best research available to understand complex challenges and offer practical solutions.
13 May 2019
In the Field

What’s Changed the Most in the Mental Health Field? AIR Experts Provide Perspective in Recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month

Just like physical health, mental health is crucial to everyone’s well-being. For Mental Health Awareness Month, five AIR experts reflected on three of the biggest trends and shifts they’ve observed from their collective years in the field.
Image of girl with flag holding soldier's hand
9 May 2019
Brief

How Public Datasets Can Address Data Obstacles in Pay for Success: A Demonstration for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities

As part of its Pay for Success work, AIR developed a workaround to common data obstacles these projects face. AIR was contracted to develop the evaluation design for the San Diego-based Project (re)Launch, which sought to improve employment and health outcomes for veterans with service-connected disabilities by providing intensive case management and wraparound supports.
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