Inaugural Carl V. Granger Endowed Chair in Health Equity and Director of CHERI Named

Dear Jacobs School community:

I am excited to welcome Heather Gardiner, PhD ’06, who has been appointed as the inaugural Carl V. Granger Endowed Chair in Health Equity and director of the Community Health Equity Research Institute (CHERI) at the University at Buffalo. 

Established in 2019, CHERI is committed to advancing community-driven research aimed at eliminating health disparities, with a particular focus on Buffalo’s East Side. Its mission is deeply rooted in a 2014 partnership with the African American Health Equity Task Force — a coalition of local pastors, UB faculty, community leaders, residents, and health professionals — focused on addressing the social determinants of health, including housing, food access and economic opportunity.

Since its founding, CHERI has benefited from the integral leadership of Timothy F. Murphy, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. His vision and dedication have shaped the institute’s direction and laid a strong foundation for its continued growth.

Dr. Gardiner’s return to Western New York is a true homecoming. A UB alumna, she brings a distinguished record of scholarship, leadership, and community-engaged research. Her expertise spans interpersonal health communication, chronic kidney disease, and organ donation and transplantation. She is a recognized mixed-methodologist with deep experience in both qualitative and quantitative research, including advanced statistical methods.

She holds a PhD in communication from UB, an MPH in social and behavioral health from Virginia Commonwealth University, and both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from UB. Most recently, she served at Temple University’s College of Public Health, where she directed the Health Disparities Research Lab and the Office of Community Engaged Research and Practice.

Dr. Gardiner has led or co-led numerous federally funded projects, securing over $25 million in external funding and publishing more than 60 scientific articles. Her deep commitment to advancing health equity through research and education is underscored by two key factors: her long-standing collaboration in transplant research with Liise K. Kayler, MD, clinical professor of surgery, program director of kidney and pancreas transplantation, and chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery in the Jacobs School, and program director of the Regional Center of Excellence for Transplantation and Kidney Care at Erie County Medical Center, and her mentorship of over 60 students and trainees.

In her new role, Dr. Gardiner will lead CHERI in expanding its research impact, strengthening community partnerships, and developing innovative solutions to health disparities. Her leadership will be instrumental in positioning UB as a national leader in health equity research.

This endowed chair honors the legacy of Carl V. Granger, MD, a pioneering African American physician, professor emeritus of rehabilitation medicine at UB, and a generous supporter of this vital work.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Dr. Gardiner back to UB and Western New York. We look forward to the transformative contributions she will bring to our university and the broader community.

Sincerely,

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA

Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Vice President for Health Sciences
President and CEO, UBMD Physicians' Group