Leveraging community engagement to shape biomedical research priorities

Community engagement is essential for shaping equitable biomedical research priorities, but it is often underutilized, especially for marginalized populations. To integrate community feedback from the public into research, herein we describe a collaborative pilot funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative which pairs the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) with the Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness. Utilizing focus groups modeled on Research Prioritization by Affected Communities, participants identified themes that included mistrust in healthcare, representation gaps, and the need for culturally responsive research. Priorities such as mental health, chronic disease, and access to black providers were highlighted. The findings emphasize the need for sustained, grassroots partnerships to drive inclusive research agendas.