Strategies for Presenting Research to Community Advisory Boards: Practical Tips from an HIV-focused CAB

Community-based participatory research emphasizes building collaborative, equitable partnerships between researchers and community experts. Community advisory boards (CABs) are integral to community-based participatory research. The University of California, Los Angles-Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Center for AIDS Research (UCLA-CDU CFAR)'s standing CAB consists of community experts, most with lived experience, across Los Angeles County, California. The UCLA-CDU CFAR CAB provides input on CFAR members' individual research projects, in contrast to study-specific CABs, which are dedicated to specific research projects. The CAB developed best practices for researchers on how to present to standing CABs, including general communication strategies and guidance for pre- and post-presentation activities (e.g., slide preparation, post-meeting follow-up). The strategies were developed and refined over numerous research presentations, for adaptation by other community-academic teams. Use of these strategies can lead to more productive partnerships with CABs and facilitate meaningful community feedback on research from initiation to completion.