The Iowa Institute of Public Health Research and Policy (IIPHRP) an Iowa Board of Regents approved institute, was established to expand the scope, scale and impact of public health research at the University of Iowa. The IIPHRP fosters and nurtures grassroots application of cutting edge, public health research to address grand challenges in population health. The IIPHRP serves as a catalyst and creates intellectual communities that reach across disciplinary boundaries by bringing together researchers, healthcare organizations, providers, citizens, community leaders, private partners and policy makers, to help shape and inform public health policy. By bringing together the best of what we know, the IIPHRP aims to create better population health in Iowa, and across the nation.