The Center for Health & Education Studies (CHES) at WYSAC specializes in the design and conduct of program evaluation projects and needs assessments for federal and state agencies, non-profit groups, and university departments. Researchers at the center collect, manage, analyze, and report data to inform programming, policy, and funding decisions. The expertise in CHES spans:

• Public health
• Substance abuse
• Mental health
• Education
• School-community collaborations
• Mapping (GIS)

CHES evaluators are active in the American Evaluation Association, and CHES evaluations have been recognized as exemplary by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Evaluating Wyoming’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program . WYSAC has served as the independent evaluator on this large and multi-layered project since 2001. CHES conducts evaluations at the local, regional, and state levels, and teams with other WYSAC departments on the Wyoming Adult TobaccoSurvey and a web-based interactive data tool that allows easy retrieval of tobacco-related data for Wyoming. Click here to go to the Tobacco Prevention & Control Evaluation Website.

Evaluating the Oregon SPF-SIG . This project includes a process and outcome evaluation as well as an assessment of the infrastructure and capacity at the state and community levels to address alcohol dependence or abuse. WYSAC’s efforts have included the administration of state, community, and Tribal needs assessments and participation in a national cross-site evaluation.

Evaluating the NSF GK-12 Initiatives in Wyoming Schools . WYSAC evaluates these five-year projects that bring University of Wyoming graduate students into the classrooms of middle and high schools in Wyoming. CHES is assessing the association between these initiatives and the educational and career choices of Wyoming students.

Contact CHES:
Laura Feldman
phone: 307-399-1914
e-mail: lfeldman@uwyo.edu