Chris M. Coombe

Chris M. Coombe is an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He is affiliated with the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center (Detroit URC), a community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership. He earned a PhD from the University of Michigan and an MPH from the University of California, Berkeley.

• Postdoctoral Translational Scholar, NIH, Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (2009-2011)
• PhD in Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan (2007)
• Predoctoral Traineeship, NIMH (2002-2005)
• MPH in Community Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley (1996)
• BA in Social Welfare, Albright College (1996)

Dr. Coombe specializes in community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address racial and socioeconomic health inequities in urban environments. His work focuses on:

• Translating social and physical environment research into policy interventions
• Health impact assessments (e.g., Detroit regeneration plans)
• Participatory evaluation frameworks for equitable partnerships
• Capacity-building education programs for academic-community teams

His research trends include:

• CBPR methodologies for health equity
• Intersection of environmental health and social determinants
• Policy advocacy through community empowerment
• Longstanding partnership success factors (e.g., NIH-funded study)

Dr. Coombe co-leads the CBPR Partnership Academy, a national training program for community-academic teams. He has conducted participatory evaluations for over 20 years, contributing to measures for community capacity building and equitable partnerships. His work often intersects with urban policy analysis and systems change.

Key projects include:

• NIH-funded 5-year study on partnership success factors
• Health impact assessment of Detroit regeneration plans

He actively collaborates with the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center to address health disparities through CBPR.