Ramya Chari

Policy Researcher

Off Site Office

Education

Ph.D. in health policy and management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; M.P.H., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

One Page Bio

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Ramya Chari is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on environmental and social determinants of health, public health preparedness, occupational health and well-being, and environmental risk assessment. Chari has particular expertise in community-based participatory research methods and led multiple large-scale studies designed to support the development of citizen science and other community efforts to improve disaster preparedness, build community resilience, and address public health problems. She has also led projects focused on the conceptual and operational development of tools for measurement of worker well-being. Chari received her Ph.D. in health policy and management and her M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Addressing Fugitive Chemical Health Risks through Community-Based Actions
Leveraging the Emerging Field of Disaster Citizen Science to Enhance Community Resilience and Improve Disaster Response
Conceptualizing and Operationalizing Well-Being for Total Worker Health
Building a Community Citizen Science Program for Monitoring Environmental Contamination in Louisiana Coastal Parishes

Commentary

Global Climate Change

Health Benefits of Addressing Climate Change
Opponents of action to mitigate climate change often suggest that regulation could have a negative impact on jobs, but stakeholders need to consider benefits, too. For instance, lower emissions could produce savings in the form of lower health care costs, reductions in premature death, and greater well-being.
Feb 4, 2015
Newsweek
Health Care Costs

Are You a 'Wise' Health Care Consumer?
To be wise purchasers of health care services, consumers need access to accurate and understandable information about health plans and providers. They wrongly assume that more expensive providers are better than less expensive ones, despite inconsistent evidence that there is any link between health care cost and quality.
Feb 5, 2013
Mental Health Treatment

Shifting the Burden of Mental Health Care: Helping Families
In our national conversation on mental health, we should remember the role of families when thinking about treatment and ensure that our policies open up opportunities to support parents, siblings and relatives, and enhance their capacity for care, writes Ramya Chari.
Dec 21, 2012
The RAND Blog

Publications

Journal Article
The Road to Justice40: Organizer and Policymaker Perspectives on the Historical Roots of and Solutions for Environmental Justice Inequities in U.S. Cities
This study characterizes the perceptions of organizers and policymakers regarding how communities experience the causes of environmental injustices in U.S. cities, the characteristics of policies intended to address these injustices, and lessons learned for equitably engaging communities.
Dec 28, 2022
Tool
Environmental Racism: A Tool for Exploring the Enduring Legacy of Redlining on Urban Environments
Researchers developed an online tool for visualizing the spatial relationships between the discriminatory practice of redlining and exposure to environmental hazards (e.g., pollution, waste sites).
Mar 31, 2022
Report
Translational Impacts of World Trade Center Health Program Research: A Mixed Methods Study
In this report, the authors describe the findings and recommendations of a four-year study of the World Trade Center Health Program's research portfolio and its translational impact. Recommendations are designed to help guide Program planning.
Oct 26, 2021
Tool
Citizen Science for Disasters: A Guide for Community Groups
This toolkit provides guidance to community groups on engaging with disaster citizen science to support public health preparedness.
Sep 29, 2021
Tool
Citizen Science for Disasters: A Guide for Local Health Departments
This toolkit provides guidance to local health departments on engaging with disaster citizen science to support public health preparedness.
Sep 29, 2021
Journal Article
Enhancing Community Preparedness: An Inventory and Analysis of Disaster Citizen Science Activities
Disaster citizen science, or the use of scientific principles and methods by "non-professional" scientists or volunteers, may be a promising way to enhance public health emergency preparedness and build community resilience.
Oct 30, 2019
Report
Community Citizen Science: From Promise to Action
In community citizen science, laypeople control research, working with professional scientists and performing research on their own. This report describes its potential uses, implementation needs and challenges, and ways to effect change.
Jun 18, 2019
Journal Article
Fugitive Chemicals and Environmental Justice: A Model for Environmental Monitoring Following Climate-Related Disasters
Waterfront communities can use this six-step framework to proactively develop an environmental monitoring program to prepare for, recover from, and respond to chemical leaks after weather disasters.
Jul 3, 2018
Journal Article
Expanding The Paradigm of Occupational Safety And Health: A New Framework For Worker Well-Being
Defining, promoting, and evaluating worker well-being is a complex undertaking requiring partnerships and commitments across employers, individuals, and communities.
May 22, 2018
Journal Article
Governing Academic Medical Center Systems: Choosing Among Alternative Governance Approaches
This assessment of governance approaches for academic medical centers (AMCs) helped the University of California respond to changes in the funding environment and provides a systematic way for any AMC to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of its governance approaches..
Oct 10, 2017
Report
The Promise of Community Citizen Science
This Perspective examines the transformative potential of community citizen science for communities, science, and decisionmaking.
Sep 27, 2017
Report
Injury and Illness Surveillance of U.S. Agricultural Workers: Assessment of Recommendations and Actions
This report provides the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health with an assessment of the feasibility and desirability of carrying out specific actions recommended by an independent panel regarding program relevance and impact.
Sep 25, 2017
Journal Article
The Promise of Direct-to-Consumer Telehealth for Disaster Response and Recovery
This paper discusses several potential uses of direct-to-consumer telehealth during disaster response and recovery while noting the logistical, legal, and policy challenges that must be addressed to allow for expanded use.
Sep 12, 2016
Journal Article
Youth Resilience Corps: An Innovative Model to Engage Youth in Building Disaster Resilience
This study describes the development of a Youth Resilience Corps, or YRC (i.e., a set of tools to engage young people in youth-led community resilience activities) and the findings from a small-scale pilot test.
Nov 11, 2015
Tool
Community Resilience: Learn and Tell Toolkit
This toolkit is intended to teach people about community resilience so that they can then teach others. It has information and exercises, which individuals and organizations can use to communicate with their staff and service populations.
Apr 22, 2015
Tool
The Hungrier Games: Disaster Resilience Skills for Youth
This guide contains an introduction to the key principles of community resilience. It is intended for high school youth (ages 14--18). The introduction is presented through youth-friendly talking points and the use of a scavenger hunt game.
Apr 22, 2015
Journal Article
A Wedge-Based Approach to Estimating Health Co-Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation Activities in the United States
This study presents a new framework for estimating the change in health outcomes resulting from implementation of specific carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction activities, allowing comparison of different sectors and options for climate mitigation activities.
Nov 1, 2014
Research Brief
U.S. Vaccines Deemed Extremely Safe, with Serious Side Effects Rare Among Children
RAND researchers systematically reviewed scientific studies on routine vaccines recommended for children age 6 and younger in the United States and found that vaccines are very safe overall, and serious side effects are extremely rare.
Aug 8, 2014
Journal Article
Safety of Vaccines Used for Routine Immunization of US Children: A Systematic Review
This study systematically reviewed the literature on the safety of routine vaccines recommended for children in the United States.
Aug 1, 2014
Journal Article
Safety of Vaccines Used for Routine Immunization in the United States
This report conducts a systematic review of the literature on the safety of vaccines recommended for routine immunization of children, adolescents, and adults in the United States.
Jul 1, 2014
Report
Links Between Air Quality and Economic Growth: Implications for Pittsburgh
This report assesses what evidence exists for the ways in which local air quality could influence local economic growth and how those effects might be relevant to the Pittsburgh region.
Dec 20, 2013
Journal Article
On Call at the Mall: A Mixed Methods Study of U.S. Medical Malls
The decline of the traditional U.S. shopping mall and a focus on more consumer- centered care have created an opportunity for medical malls.
Nov 1, 2013
Research Brief
Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Facilitate High-Value Innovation
Health information technology has not achieved its full potential, but its benefits should grow over time. Because health care is largely regulated at the state level, the states can play a valuable role as laboratories for innovative policies.
Nov 15, 2012
Research Brief
Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Foster Efficient and Accountable Providers
Providers can dramatically improve American health care by focusing on value instead of volume, eliminating wasteful and inappropriate care, applying the best available evidence to their practices, and enhancing patient safety.
Nov 15, 2012
Research Brief
Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Engage and Empower Consumers
Cost-sharing leads consumers to reduce both highly beneficial and less beneficial care, so they must be empowered with useful information to make informed decisions. Public cost and quality reports must be accurate, accessible, and understandable.
Nov 15, 2012
Research Brief
Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Insights from RAND Health Research
RAND Health research supports four strategies to restrain health care spending growth and maintain quality: foster efficient and accountable providers, engage and empower consumers, promote population health, and facilitate high-value innovation.
Nov 15, 2012
Research Brief
Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Promote Population Health
Reversing the rising tide of obesity and further reducing rates of tobacco use could produce substantial long-term dividends in terms of lives saved and disabling illnesses prevented. Communities, employers, and parents all have important roles.
Nov 15, 2012
Journal Article
Integrating Susceptibility Into Environmental Policy: An Analysis of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Lead
Susceptibility to chemical toxins has not been adequately addressed in risk assessment methodologies.
Mar 1, 2012
Journal Article
Circumcisions Performed in U.S. Community Hospitals, 2009
Although circumcisions may be performed for cultural or religious reasons, there has been debate over the ethics and medical necessity of this procedure.
Feb 1, 2012