RAND Corporation

RAND Health conducts research that advances understanding of health behaviors and examines how the organization and financing of care affect costs, quality, and outcomes. RAND and the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Health Sciences have created the RAND-University of Pittsburgh Health Institute (RUPHI), which supports collaborative research conducted by experts at both organizations. RUPHI, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, and local managed care organizations built a model maternal and child health care system for the county. RAND, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh's Office of Child Development, examined the status of childhood blood lead level screening, reporting, and surveillance in Allegheny County and offered recommendations for improving these processes. Currently RAND, in partnership with the Hill House Association, is studying the impact a new full-service grocery store will have on the health of residents in the Hill District.

RAND's international affairs experts study global economies and trade, space and maritime security, diplomacy, global health and education, nation-building, and regional security and stability. RAND analyzes the effectiveness of U.S. policies focused on global affairs, policies of other countries, and international organizations such as the UN, NATO, and the European Union. Recent work has addressed the challenges faced by coalition forces in Afghanistan, India's economic rise, and the radicalization of terrorists and extremists. The results of RAND's international affairs work are widely disseminated and regularly presented in public events, with the objective of enhancing public appreciation for these complex issues.

RAND's energy and environmental analyses help contextualize the effects of existing and proposed energy policies on the environment. Areas of focus include energy resources and systems; environmental quality and regulation; water resources planning and management; air quality concerns; climate change policy; economic development and sustainability; natural hazards and disasters; waste management; and land and ecological resource management. Recent work has addressed nuclear waste management; extracting energy from shale gas; and estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from alternative fuels.

Maintaining an effective military largely depends on the well-being of its service members, veterans, and their families. Uncertainty surrounding deployments, long work hours, and family separation causes significant stress on military personnel and has negative effects on retention. RAND is a resource for research and policy recommendations on a wide variety of challenges faced by military members, spouses, and their children, including readiness for deployment; quality and cost-effective health care for current and retired military personnel and their families; the mental health and cognitive needs of U.S. service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq; the health and employment problems that hinder veterans' reintegration into civilian life; the role of military spouses; and the need for military-sponsored child care.