The UMKC Institute for Human Development exemplifies the University’s goals by practicing engaged scholarship, supporting research to practice so that people, agencies, and the community can reach their fullest potential. Throughout the years, it has become increasingly apparent that by focusing on members of underserved populations, whether defined by gender, culture, or economic status, we can impact the quality of life for more members of our community. We believe our work is most effective when we are able to successfully increase the self-determination, cultural competency, and social capital of all of our citizens. Briefly, the focus of the Institute for Human Development is to develop partnerships (in the university, community, state, and nation) for effective social change.
IHD houses over 60 projects and several centers, including the Missouri University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Missouri Family to Family (a resource center for families), and Alianzas (a resource center for Latino populations in Missouri). IHD conducts and collaborates on a wide variety of applied research projects to develop, implement, and demonstrate as well as evaluate new ideas and promising practices that support healthy, inclusive communities. Through our interdisciplinary university training we infuse best practices into the curriculum of graduate and undergraduate students in a wide range of professional disciplines. Through community services and supports, IHD assists individuals, community and state agencies, and university faculty to build the capacity of their programs through needs assessments, technical assistance, grant development, demonstrations, and program evaluation. IHD is also a vital information link through the dissemination of products and the establishment of information resource centers. These resource centers become vital assets to the community as demonstrations of research to practice.
