The UMKC Collaborative Center to Advance Health Services has joined the UMKC Institute of Human Development.

The move brings together two established teams to better align their work and strengthen their collective impact. The transition reflects a strategic realignment within the university to enhance administrative support, streamline operations and expand opportunities for research and community engagement. 

"To elevate UMKC’s research enterprise, we must align our most impactful assets to operate with maximum agility,” said Sumeet Dua, vice chancellor for research and innovation. “Housing these complementary strengths within the Institute for Human Development creates a cohesive research powerhouse. It streamlines how we empower our investigators, accelerates our portfolio growth and ensures our research delivers transformative, scalable solutions to the communities we serve."

The UMKC Institute of Human Development was founded in 1977 and is a major contributor to research at the university. Its work focuses on research and evaluation, providing professional development, training and technical assistance and advancing systems change at the local, state and federal level to improve the lives of people across the lifespan. Its portfolio of work spans physical and developmental disabilities, aging and disability, maternal, childhood, and early childhood and education systems. It is federally designated as Missouri’s University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

The UMKC Collaborative Center to Advance Health Services brings a similarly strong portfolio of work focused on improving health systems and outcomes through research, professional development and community partnerships. Its principal investigators lead federally and state-funded initiatives in areas such as behavioral health, substance use and reproductive health, while also providing national training and technical assistance to professionals in these fields.

The integration will enhance efficiency, reduce administrative burden and create new opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and funding streams.

“We all serve the same population, so we are stronger together,” said Michelle Reynolds, senior associate director for the UMKC Institute for Human Development. “I foresee in the next year or two where we'll really be able to jointly write new initiatives and leverage each other's work.”

This alignment strengthens UMKC’s ability to support high-impact research, foster cross-sector collaboration and drive lasting improvements in health systems and community outcomes.