CitiesLEAD Launches to Help Cities Advance Life Expectancy and Address Disparities Across the U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC, DECEMBER 8, 2025 — The Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC), Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center on Society and Health today announced an award of $1.5 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to create a national network that helps BCHC member cities ensure they can not only access appropriate life expectancy data, but also transform those data into action, making more equitable health outcomes available to all residents. In some U.S. cities, lifespan can vary by more than 30 years between neighborhoods, a disparity driven by structural racism, residential segregation, disinvestment, and inequities in economic opportunity, housing, employment, and community assets.

Cities that participate in the CitiesLEAD: Increasing Life Expectancy through Collective Action and Data project will receive technical assistance, data analysis, and peer-learning opportunities to translate life expectancy data into action. Together with partners, BCHC will design a new “Health Equity Barometer” that cities can use to track progress and share insights.

“This project is a great example of how an initiative in one place can seed work in cities across the country,” said Chrissie Juliano, MPP, BCHC’s Executive Director. “Following the data can lead us to healthier outcomes for all – and that means safer, more prosperous communities, something we can all get behind. We are very grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for sharing that vision and supporting this work.”

The Boston Public Health Commission – whose Live Long and Well population health equity agenda is the national model for CitiesLEAD and other initiatives to address life expectancy gaps – will serve as the founding health department and implementation partner.

“In Boston, life expectancy differs by as much as 23 years between neighborhoods due to long-standing inequities in social determinants of health and access to care. Our city is committed to closing these gaps and advancing health equity for all residents,” said Bisola Ojikutu, MD, MPH, FIDSA, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. “As the founding health department for CitiesLEAD, we look forward to working with other cities across the nation as they launch their own initiatives. Thank you to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for investing in this critical effort.”

VCU’s Center on Society and Health (CSH), a national leader in measuring and communicating the social determinants of health, will provide technical and methodological support to the project. The Center will also serve as a thought leader and collaborate on visioning for the project, which builds on nearly two decades of work by CSH to map and analyze life expectancy across U.S. neighborhoods. CSH researchers, including Derek Chapman, PhD, and Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, have long documented the social and economic factors driving differences in health outcomes and have helped cities nationwide translate data into meaningful policy and practice.

“The length of your life shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code or the color of your skin,” said Chapman, director of the VCU Center on Society and Health and lead investigator for the center’s work on the project. “CitiesLEAD will provide cities the tools and expertise they need to take measurable action on health inequities.”

CitiesLEAD’s strategy rests on three interconnected pillars:

• Data: Supporting city leaders to calculate, interpret, and visualize life expectancy and premature mortality data at the neighborhood level.
• Communication: Using data to challenge harmful narratives about inequities and share transformative, justice-centered stories of progress.
• Community Action: Most importantly, supporting local partnerships and interventions that address structural inequities and the root causes of poor health outcomes.

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About the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) | bigcitieshealth.org

BCHC is a forum for the leaders of America’s largest metropolitan health departments to exchange strategies and jointly address issues to promote and protect the health and safety of their residents. Collectively, BCHC member jurisdictions directly impact more than 61 million people, or one in five Americans.

About the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) | boston.gov/bphc

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is the country’s oldest health department and envisions a thriving Boston where all residents live healthy and fulfilling lives. To accomplish this, BPHC works in partnership with communities to protect and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents, especially those impacted by racism and systemic inequities. About the VCU Center on Society and Health | societyhealth.vcu.edu The VCU Center on Society and Health, housed in the VCU School of Public Health, is an academic research center that studies the health implications of social factors – such as education, income, neighborhood and community environmental conditions, and public policy.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) | rwjf.org

RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.