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About the Center
The Center for Social Well-Being and Development is a university-based research center that promotes the understanding and use of a social-ecological approach to support positive health and social outcomes to reduce vulnerability worldwide.
We are located at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.
What is Social Well-Being?
Social well-being means that there is a social fabric that enables people to live healthy, productive, safe and respected lives. It strengthens people's assets to respond to opportunities and risks, and minimize vulnerability.
The Social-Ecological Approach
The social-ecological approach is rooted in public health. We use it to understand and address the web of factors influencing health, social problems, and related human rights issues, and to advance social well-being.
Who We Are
Our Mission
The Center The Center for Social Well-Being and Development supports the understanding and use of a social-ecological approach to address health and social development in the U.S. and globally through research, program planning, evaluation, communication, dissemination of what works, and training or technical support services.
Our Experts
The Center is trans-disciplinary such that faculty, staff and students from the Milken Institute School of Public Health and other George Washington University Departments and Schools can be involved in projects, as appropriate. Learn more about our team.
Our Supporters
Our supporters—from federal government to global organizations to national medical research centers and public health institutes—inspire us to do more. They empower us to continue our efforts and allow us to impact a growing number of people throughout the world.
CSWD Services
Assess
Assess contributing factors for health and social development problems, in collaboration with communities and stakeholders.
Integrate
Integrate program planning across sectors to address multiple contributing factors with efficiency.
Develop
Through collaboration with communities and stakeholders, develop tailored program approaches and/or identify evidence-based programs that can be used to intervene at strategic points in a web of contributing factors.
Evaluate
Collaboratively conduct evaluation to determine whether a program or policy is effective in improving the targeted health or social development problem and changing the contributing factors.
Disseminate
Disseminate the results and best practices from effective programs.
Build
Build local or indigenous capacity to scale sustainable programs.
Recent Articles
Edberg, M., Benavides, J., Rivera, I., Shaikh, H., Monge, R., & Grinker, R.
Shaikh, H., & McDonnell, K. A. (2020).
Edberg, M., Shaikh, H., & Shaw, D. (2019). Situation Analysis of Children and Families in Belize, 2018