CHESS sadly announces the passing of our founder, David H. Gustafson, PhD.
We improve the lives of patients and their families to strengthen the behavioral health workforce.
Our work is rooted in the idea that better systems should always amount to higher quality, more human, care.
“It’s just so darn important we keep in mind that there are people out there who are suffering, who we need to be helping. We just have to remember who we’re trying to help.” – Dave Gustafson Sr.
CHESS is a multidisciplinary center whose research and innovations have led to such practical results as longer life for patients with lung cancer, reduction in relapse rates for people in recovery, shorter waiting times for people trying to get into addiction treatment, and improved quality of life among older adults. CHESS also leads national and regional projects to develop and strengthen the behavioral healthcare workforce that provides prevention, treatment and recovery support services for substance use disorder and mental illness.
Learn more about CHESS
Research
At CHESS, we’re not just conducting research, we’re exploring the frontiers of individual and organizational systems transformation. Our multidisciplinary Center includes researchers from multiple fields.
Innovation
Learn about CHESS innovations that leverage mobile technology to help people manage chronic health conditions, as well as NIATx, our pioneering process improvement model designed for the behavioral health field.
Professional Support
CHESS projects include professional support to organizations and individuals aimed at enhancing skills and accelerating the use of evidence-based practices in substance use and mental health intervention efforts.
CHESS By The Numbers
150M+ Dollars
Since 2006, CHESS has received over $150 million to support our research.
300+ Publications
CHESS researchers have published over 300 peer-reviewed articles.
Countless Lives Affected
Over 40 years of research has positively impacted countless patients, family members, clinicians…to name just a few.