Cost control and quality enhancement remain elusive goals in the U.S. health care system. More and better evidence is required to help direct scarce health care resources to many competing uses, and to evaluate alternative strategies for promoting more cost effective care. In recognition of this need, the Graduate Program in Public Health has formed the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research (CHSOR). The Center is a multidisciplinary research unit that combines expertise in economics, statistics, epidemiology, medicine, and other clinical disciplines to address substantive issues in health care service and delivery. As part of its research mission, the Center seeks to develop joint projects with researchers at Stony Brook University and with health organizations throughout Long Island.