About Us

WHO WE ARE

Prioritizing Possibilities for Early and Lifelong Health in Research, Policy, and Practice

Since 1996, the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative has led and collaborated to keep the focus on children, youth, and families in policy, practice, and systems change to promote the early and lifelong health and well-being of children, youth, families, and communities.

Meet Our Team

OUR MISSION

To promote the early and lifelong health of children, youth, and families through the translation of the science of healthy child development and thriving into public health and health services research, policy, and practice.

OUR VALUES

Equity and positive health development for all children, youth, families, and communities; child, youth, and family partnership and engagement at all levels; translation of science, data, and evidence into policy and practice; and cross-sector collaboration and innovation to achieve culture and systems change.

HOW WE WORK

The CAHMI collaborates to define transformation goals for the health and well-being of children, youth, and families to discern and develop actionable data and tools that inspire and inform transformational partnerships at the national, state, and local level to achieve child, youth, and family health and well-being.

OUR APPROACH

We take a highly collaborative approach to achieve our mission. CAHMI cultivates relationships and partners with many of the nation's leading child and family experts and family organizations, national and state public health and health care systems, researchers, and communities. We promote partnerships that put children, youth, and families at the center of health, health care, and public health performance measurement and improvement.

Meet our Partners

OUR TEAM

"I would love to live like the river flows, unafraid of its own unfolding." - John O'Donahue

Dr. Christina D. Bethell, PhD, MBA, MPH

Professor and Center Director
cbethell@jhu.edu

Dr. Bethell is a Professor at Johns Hopkins University in the Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she serves as the founding director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative and the National Maternal and Child Health Data Resource Initiative. Since 1996, Dr. Bethell has shaped the conversation and developed methods and frameworks to enable the first-ever and ongoing availability of national, state, local, health system and clinical level family-centered data to promote the early and lifelong health of children, families and communities. She works to promote data driven and relationship and healing centered approaches to establish policies and practices that advance positive health outcomes for children, families and communities. This includes research to develop the Cycle of Engagement model and tools, which engage families to improve well child care services and shared care planning for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Dr Bethell is an avid student of human potential for flourishing amid adversity and is dedicated to the implementation of the collaboratively developed Prioritizing Possibilities a collaboratively developed national agenda to address childhood trauma and promote a new science of thriving in research, advocacy, teaching and practice. She writes poetry, dances and believes that attuned connection with our selves, life and others is the source of our creativity and joy.

Naraa Gombojav, PhD, MD

Assistant Scientist
ngomboj1@jhu.edu

Andrew Sherwood, MS

Research Data Analyst
sherwood@jhu.edu

Paige Endsley Hrivnak, MPH

Research Program Manager
pendsle1@jhu.edu

Scott Stumbo, MA

Research Program Manager
sstumbo1@jhu.edu

Mary Wahl, MPH

Research Program Manager
mwahl8@jhu.edu

Rebecca Zavala

Research Program Coordinator
rzavala1@jhu.edu

The CAHMI is also supported by our indispensable team of part-time students and interns!
Aastha Kapadia, Blair Williams, Divya Konduru, Harrsha Kumar, Jennifer Pino, Joy Acha, Karen Yu, Kathy Yella, Krista Woodward,
Melissa Soto, Mia Choi, Micaela Feldi, Shriya Jain, Yeninda Tjoa, Yomiyu Mekonnen

OUR PARTNERS

Since 1996, CAHMI has enjoyed a close partnership with Family Voices, pediatric health care providers, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children's Hospital Association, the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and state health agencies. Over the years, the CAHMI has been supported by numerous public and private sector funding agencies, including:

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
The Commonwealth Fund
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health (LPFCH)
The California Endowment (TCF)
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
National Help Me Grown Center (HMG)
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
National Help Me Grown Center (HMG)
Children’s Hospital Association (CHA)
Family Voices (FV)
State Medicaid agencies
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Currently (2020-2023) we hold grants to advance our core work from MCHB, RWJF, TCF, and NIH.

CAHMI History Archive Documents

The Healing Health Care Team (2022)

David A. Bergman, Sandra Hassink, Sarah Ronis, Kurt C. Stange, Christina D. Bethell. 2022. The Healing Health Care Team White paper. The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.

The Case for Investing in Child Health as a Matter of Our Nation's Security, Economy, and Well-Being (2016)

Wietecha M, Bethell C. The Case for Investing in Child Health as a Matter of Our Nation's Security, Economy, and Well-being. Children’s Hospitals Today. 2016;24(4).

A Portrait of Adolescents in America, 2001. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Adolescent Health Chartbook

Bethell CD, Lansky D, Fiorillo J. A Portrait of Adolescents in America, 2001. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 2002.

The Children with Special Healthcare Needs Consumer Quality Measurement Module (2001)

A set of survey-based methods and tools designed to identify children with special health care needs (CSHCN) and measure the basic aspects of health care quality for this group of children. This document is a submitter kit for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Patient-Centered Care Measures for the National Health Care Quality Report (2000)

Defines “patient-centered care” and outlines a rationale and methods for incorporating measures of patient-centered care in the National Health Care Quality Report. Identifies the relevance of patient-centered care as a mediator of health care goals such as patient safety, effectiveness, promptness, efficiency, and equity.

A FACCT-Filled Agenda for Public Information (1997)

Skolnick AA. A FACCT-Filled Agenda for Public Information. JAMA. 1997;278(19):1558.

Background and Overview of CAHMI and the CAHMI Measurement Framework (2022)

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Overview of Quality Measurement Framework, Development Process and Criteria. 2022.

Child Health and Health Care Quality Measures from the NSCH and NS-CSHCN Endorsed for Use by The National Quality Forum (2011)

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Child Health and Health Care Quality Measures from the NSCH and NS-CSHCN Endorsed for Use by The National Quality Forum. 2011.

Child Health Data for Quality Improvement Partnerships (2011)

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Child Health Data for Quality Improvement Partnerships. A brief on using the DRC for quality improvement. Data Resource Center. 2011

Empowering Consumers to Make Informed Choices, Book Chapter

Lansky D, Bethell CD. Empowering Consumers to Make Informed Choices, Book Chapter 11, p266-286

Local Uses of National and State Data and how to construct a synthetic estimate (2011)

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Local Uses of National and State Data and how to construct a synthetic estimate. Data Resource Center. 2011

Measuring and Interpreting Health Care Quality Across Culturally-Diverse Populations: A Focus on Consumer-Reported Indicators of Health Care Quality (2003)

Bethell CD, Carter Kim, Lansky D, et.al., Measuring and Interpreting Health Care Quality Across Culturally-Diverse Populations: A Focus on Consumer-Reported Indicators of Health Care Quality. The Commonwealth Fund. 2003

Moving Beyond the Tipping Point to Create a Person-Centered Health-Care System in America One Patient at a Time (2004)

Bethell C. White Paper: Moving Beyond the Tipping Point to Create a Person-Centered Health-Care System in America One Patient at a Time. July, 2004. The Commonwealth Fund and The Nuffield Trust, “International Meeting to Improve the Quality of Health Care: Strategies for Change and Action” New York, New York. 2004

Promoting Healthy Development Survey (PHDS) 2000 Results, Washington State (2000)

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Washington State Healthy Options. Promoting Healthy Development Survey (PHDS) 2000 Results, Washington State

Recognizing Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Epidemiology (2014)

Kroelinger CH, Jones J, Barfield WD, Kogan MD. Recognizing Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Epidemiology: The 2012 Co-hosted 18th MCH Epidemiology Conference and 22nd CityMatCH Urban MCH Leadership Conference, the 25th Anniversary of the MCH Epidemiology Program, and the National MCH Epidemiology Awards. Matern Child Health J. 2014 September; 18(7): 1553–1557.

Remembering our Past, Building the Future: 100 Years of the Maternal and Child Health Research Program

Harwood R, Yu S, Kavanagh L. Remembering our Past, Building the Future: 100 Years of the Maternal and Child Health Research Program. Maternal and Child Health Bureau

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Strategic Indicators Summary Report (2000)

Bethell C, Lansky D, Hendryx, M. RWJF Priority and Program Area Performance Indicators Summary Report. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Strategic Indicators Survey, 2000.

Using Data to Build Partnerships for Improving Health and Health Care of Children, Youth and Families (2011)

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Using Data to Build Partnerships for Improving Health and Health Care of Children, Youth and Families. Worksheets and Tips: Communicating Data Results. Data Resource Center. 2011

About the CAHMI