Assessing a community health center-driven process for engaging with translational scientists: What will it take?

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Translational science
• Health equity research

Background:

• Community health centers (CHCs) are vital for equitable healthcare delivery.
• Integrating CHCs into research is crucial for developing relevant, evidence-based practices.
• A health equity gap persists, underscoring the need for inclusive research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and evaluate a collaborative model for engaging CHCs in research partnerships.
• To support research from the early planning stages of the study lifecycle.
• To foster stronger community-academic research relationships.

Main Methods:

• Utilized community engagement principles and a collective impact framework.
• Co-designed, piloted, and evaluated a process for facilitating research partnerships.
• Developed a web-based Toolkit and an active learning collaborative for capacity building.

Main Results:

• Generated 81 new research project partnerships across 50 projects within 2 years.
• Most partnership requests occurred post-planning phase, highlighting a need for earlier engagement.
• Partnership acceptance was guided by established "Guiding Principles" and "Rules of Engagement."

Conclusions:

• The collaborative model effectively facilitated research partnerships between CHCs and academic institutions.
• Iterative improvements are needed to enhance early-stage research engagement and long-term relationships.
• Strengthening CHC involvement in research is key to advancing health equity.