The West End Revitalization Association's community-owned and -managed research model: development, implementation,...

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Environmental health
• Health equity

Background:

• Traditional university-managed research models (UMRMs) often prioritize academic objectives over community needs.
• Community-based organizations (CBOs) lack control over research processes, data, and outcomes in UMRMs.
• This power imbalance can hinder the resolution of community-specific quality-of-life issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce the principles of community-owned and -managed research (COMR).
• Present COMR as a novel, community-driven research model developed by a CBO.
• Highlight COMR as an advancement beyond traditional UMRMs and community-based participatory research (CBPR).

Main Methods:

• Describe the development and implementation of the COMR model by the West End Revitalization Association (WERA).
• Compare power dynamics and partnership structures between COMR and UMRMs.
• Detail WERA's role as the principal investigator (PI), including MOA drafting, quality control, and data ownership.

Main Results:

• WERA, as PI, managed research activities, including protocol submission and data ownership for activism.
• COMR facilitated the resolution of environmental justice (EJ) issues, such as access to public water and sewer services.
• The model demonstrated CBOs' capacity to lead research agendas and address environmental hazards.

Conclusions:

• COMR empowers CBOs with demonstrated capacity to serve as principal investigators and project managers.
• This model enhances CBOs' ability to develop, own, manage, and sustain research addressing environmental threats and quality of life.
• COMR offers a more equitable and effective approach to community-engaged research compared to UMRMs and CBPR.