History and Mission
The Center for Health Workforce Studies at University of Washington (UW CHWS) was established in 1998 with funding from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It is based in the Research Section of the Department of Family Medicine, part of the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Our mission is to elevate the importance of workers of the health workforce in policy discussions. To accomplish our mission, UW CHWS:
- Conducts health workforce research to inform health workforce planning and policy.
- Provides consultation to local, state, regional and national policy makers on health workforce issues.
- Develops and refines analytical methods to support health workforce planning.
UW CHWS houses two of nine Health Workforce Research Centers (HWRCs) across the U.S. funded by the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis at HRSA. Each HWRC focuses on a specific aspect of the health workforce. UW’s HWRCs are addressing 1) the allied health workforce and 2) health equity and health workforce diversity.
Read the 2022 Annual Report produced by the Health Workforce Technical Assistance Center to see the latest work conducted across the nine HWRCs. Also, check out past 2020 and 2021 reports and read Health Workforce Research Centers Key Findings, 2013-2016 to learn more about the work of the HWRCs.