Community-responsive research priorities: health research infrastructure

Area of Science:

• Community-engaged research
• Translational science
• Public health

Background:

• A significant gap exists between academic research output and the health needs of the populations research aims to serve.
• Research topics are frequently dictated by investigator interests or funder priorities, rather than community-identified needs.
• This disconnect hinders the translation of research into impactful health solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a systematic process for aligning community-identified health priorities with research funding opportunities.
• To describe how research capacity building efforts can be directed by community health needs.
• To bridge the gap between academic research and the practical health concerns of the public.

Main Methods:

• Partnering with the Healthy Carolinians partnerships network across North Carolina counties to identify community health priorities.
• Utilizing established community-based networks to gather input on pressing health issues.
• Establishing a process to link identified community priorities with available research funding and support.

Main Results:

• Key community health priorities identified include obesity, youth issues, healthcare access, mental health/substance abuse, chronic diseases, cancer/tobacco, and injury/violence.
• The North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS) used these priorities to guide pilot funding decisions.
• Research capacity building initiatives were tailored to address the identified community health concerns.

Conclusions:

• A successful process was developed by NC TraCS to connect community health priorities with research resources.
• Leveraging existing community networks ensures research efforts are relevant and responsive to public health needs.
• This approach effectively directs research funding and capacity building towards addressing the most critical health issues faced by North Carolina residents.