TRANSFORM911About Us

The University of Chicago Health Lab

Our Work

Transform 911 for public health, justice, and safety.

Established to centralize emergency responses to public safety, 911 has saved countless lives through more efficient deployment of first responders to assist people in need. Its police-first model, however, deploys law enforcement and other first responders to address complex problems beyond their training such as mental health crises and homelessness. This approach sometimes results in unnecessary harm and lives lost, particularly in communities of color.

Transform911 seeks to evaluate the evidence base surrounding the current 911 system, identify its limitations, and search for opportunities to innovate alternative approaches. The project will convene a wide array of experts and community stakeholders, resulting in evidence-informed and actionable proposals and recommendations. Ultimately, the project will develop policy recommendations for local, state, and federal lawmakers and create blueprints to initiate systemic change of the nation’s emergency response system.

If we aspire to promote a more equitable emergency crisis response system, we must begin at the earliest point of engagement by transforming 911.

Our Team

The Transform911 project is led by the Health Lab, one of five labs that comprise University of Chicago Urban Labs, part of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Rebecca Neusteter
Rebecca Neusteter

Principal Investigator / Executive Director, UChicago Health Lab

David Meltzer
David Meltzer

Faculty Director, UChicago Health Lab; Chief, Section of Hospital Medicine

Harold Pollack
Harold Pollack

Co-Principal Investigator / Co-Faculty Director, UChicago Health Lab

Amy Spellman
Amy Spellman

Associate Director, UChicago Health Lab

Natalie Warren
Natalie Warren

Research Manager, UChicago Health Lab

Cree Medley
Cree Medley

Project Associate, UChicago Health Lab

Jason Lerner
Jason Lerner

Portfolio Director, UChicago Health Lab

Leoson Hoay
Leoson Hoay

Research Analyst, UChicago Health Lab

Melissa Reuland
Melissa Reuland

Senior Advisor, Transform911

Nancy La Vigne
Nancy La Vigne

Senior Advisor, Transform911

Amber Thomas
Amber Thomas

Research Assistant, Transform911

Amy Szkorla
Amy Szkorla

Research Assistant, Transform911

Bhargavi Thakur
Bhargavi Thakur

Research Assistant, Transform911

Lesly Chávez
Lesly Chávez

Research Assistant, Transform911

Opeoluwa Falako
Opeoluwa Falako

Research Assistant, Transform911

Prabhav Kamojjhala
Prabhav Kamojjhala

Research Assistant, Transform911

George Rice
George Rice

Advisor, Transform911

Jill Baldassano
Jill Baldassano

Advisor, Transform911

Our Partners

The University of Chicago Health Lab is proud to complete its work in partnership with leaders in public health, policing, community advocacy, academia, government, and other stakeholders. The Health Lab will engage many partner organizations and communities in the project, including Code For America, Full Frame Initiative, New York University School of Law’s Policing Project, and the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science to ensure broad participation in developing recommendations.

Generous financial support for Transform911 is provided by Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States; the Sozosei Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OPAI), whose primary focus is to eliminate the use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness; and the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative.

Get in Touch

Address
33 North LaSalle Street
Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60602

Email
transform911@uchicago.edu

Help us Transform911.

The Health Lab strives to improve public health, its impacts, and how it is discussed. If you identify an area of our work that you believe misses a critical perspective or employs language that needs improvement, please contact us at transform911@uchicago.edu. We welcome your feedback.