OUR MISSION
We aim to actively promote collaborative and community-driven partnerships to effect policies and practices that improve health, strengthen public health infrastructure, leverage resources to foster collective impact and social justice, and systemically advance equity and quality of life for all.
OUR VISION
A New Jersey where every person and every community has a fair and just opportunity to experience health and quality of life to their full potential.
OUR CORE VALUES
We believe that public health is what we do as a society to ensure the conditions in which everyone can be healthy.
We believe the public health system is essential in advancing individual, community, and population health.
Our work prioritizes eliminating disparities and supporting community engagement, elevating advocates as leaders in advancing equity and quality of life.
We pursue progress with independence and transparency, as we strive to build sustainable and equitable systems through innovation, collaboration, and shared leadership.
Our work is data-driven, guided by engaged communities, serves those most in need, follows and creates best practices, and addresses social and structural determinants of health.
Our team is nonpartisan, inclusive, diverse, and committed. We continue to learn, evolve, and foster collaborative relationships to advance our goals.
OUR STORY
CHEW–NJPHI was born out of a long-standing vision to strengthen New Jersey’s public health system and close persistent health gaps across the state. For more than a decade, public health leaders, foundations, and the New Jersey Department of Health explored the need for a statewide Public Health Institute that could work across sectors, partner with communities, advance health equity, and strengthen public health infrastructure. That vision became more urgent during COVID-19, when deep racial and ethnic inequities and long-standing underinvestment in public health were laid bare.
In response, the Nicholson Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnered with NJDOH and the National Network of Public Health Institutes to develop a clear roadmap for creating a Public Health Institute in New Jersey. The plan called for launching a new, independent nonprofit, incubated by a trusted host organization, to serve as a statewide convener,
fiscal and administrative partner, data connector, and equity-centered catalyst for change.
That vision is now a reality. CHEW–NJPHI operates as a statewide, non-governmental 501(c)(3), incubated by Acenda Integrated Health and supported by foundational investments from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 2025, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation authorizing the designation of a Public Health Institute, and the New Jersey Department of Health formally designated CHEW–NJPHI as New Jersey’s Public Health Institute. Today, CHEW–NJPHI works across communities, health systems, government, and partners statewide to advance health equity, strengthen public health infrastructure, and help New Jersey seize this moment to build a healthier, more equitable future.
