Shared Inquiry in Action: A Participatory Research Study on CHW Workforce Development

Participatory action research (PAR) shifts power to communities as decision-makers in research. Community health workers (CHWs) are valuable partners for implementing PAR.

Using the community engagement continuum, this paper describes the PAR approach used by a team to conduct a study with CHWs in California. We present lessons learned for meaningfully including CHWs in interdisciplinary research teams.

A collective of CHW and university researchers attended reflection sessions to describe the four phases of the research project, classify steps across the community engagement continuum, and identify lessons learned for elevating CHW voices through research.

To enhance CHW participation, research training can promote interprofessional reciprocity. Teams can identify deliverables that create value for academic and community stakeholders.

This partnership demonstrated a strengths-based approach, where CHWs shared expertise in hosting community conversations, while academics added methodological rigor. The process can guide future CHW-university teams.