Allen Cheadle, PhD, joined KPWHRI in April 2011 as director of the Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) and KPWHRI senior investigator. Before becoming its director, Dr. Cheadle worked with CCHE for more than 15 years on a range of projects through his affiliation with KPWHRI as a research professor in the University of Washington School of Public Health.

Dr. Cheadle's efforts with CCHE during the last several years have involved evaluating Kaiser Permanente's community benefit initiatives, including leading the evaluation of Kaiser Permanente's Community Health Initiative since 2004. That initiative promotes the use of policy and environmental strategies to reduce obesity in 30 communities nationwide. CCHE tracks strategy-level progress and impact, measures changes in community-level health indicators, and provides formative feedback to the communities and to Kaiser Permanente.

As leader of CCHE, Dr. Cheadle seeks to continue and expand the Center's work in evaluating community initiatives, working with foundations to build the capacity of community-based organizations, and helping safety-net organizations improve the care they provide in underserved communities. He thoroughly enjoys the process of evaluating community-based health initiatives—both in documenting their accomplishments and providing information to help them improve their work.

Dr. Cheadle's work with other KPWHRI investigators is focused on collaborative research and evaluation projects, particularly those that can improve the Kaiser Permanente Washington delivery system and contribute to its development as a "learning health care system" where research influences practice and practice influences research. These projects are also aimed at advancing Kaiser Permanente Washington's ability to benefit the broader community.