Center for Evaluation & Applied Research (CEAR)
CEAR engages our partners and the communities they serve to carry out research and evaluation activities that support data-driven program planning and decision making to advance public and population health.
Our Mission
Exhale – The Family Caregiver Initiative Evaluation
CEAR is the evaluator of Exhale, an initiative that supports the development and implementation of innovative respite opportunities for caregivers of older adults. Funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation — and working in collaboration with The Philanthropic Initiative — the program is focused on Western New York State and Washtenaw County, Michigan. CEAR is evaluating the overall initiative and provides ongoing evaluation support to Exhale grantees, working collaboratively with stakeholders to meet the evolving needs and priorities of the program
Bronx Healthy Start Partnership Evaluation
CEAR is the evaluator for the Bronx Healthy Start Partnership (BxHSP), a federally funded program serving expectant and new parents, children and families that aims to reduce racial and ethnic differences in rates of infant death and negative maternal health outcomes. CEAR works collaboratively with BxHSP to collect data to assess program impact and guide quality improvement for better health outcomes before, during and after pregnancy.
Workwell NYC Evaluation
WorkWell NYC, a program of the New York City (NYC) Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations (OLR), is NYC’s workplace wellness initiative and offers a broad range of health and wellness programs for NYC municipal employees. CEAR provides evaluation technical assistance and direct research and evaluation services to WorkWell NYC staff, so they can better assess program engagement and outcomes. Specific activities include an annual employee survey, development of a question bank to more consistently evaluate existing programs, and collaborating on the development of new evaluation activities.
New York-Presbyterian Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs)
In 2022 and 2025, CEAR carried out comprehensive health needs assessments for the NewYork-Presbyterian hospital system. These large-scale research projects emphasized primary data collection in multiple languages, with a focus on communities facing health and health-related disparities across NYC and Westchester County. Together, the 2022 and 2025 CHNAs included administration of over 2,600 community surveys, 100 focus groups, 50 key informant interviews, and secondary analysis of over 70 health indicators. This work explored community members’ perspectives and experiences related to health, health-related social needs, and community characteristics. Findings were used to inform development of the hospital’s Community Service Plans, which outline NewYork-Presbyterian’s approach to community health programming.
