"No research about us, without us:" a qualitative study to engage with community research advisory boards in the...

Community Advisory Boards (CABs) and Community Research Advisory Boards (CRABs) are widely used in health research to promote both ethical conduct and build community trust. Despite their growing adoption by universities, limited empirical work has examined how these advisory boards experience engagement with academic researchers.

This qualitative study explored best practices for engaging CRABs serving urban communities, drawing on the experiences of members of the University of Houston HEALTH Research Center's community research advisory board.

Seven CRAB members participated in two virtual focus groups conducted between November 2024 and February 2025. Participants brought professional expertise across public health, social work, healthcare, and community advocacy. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify connecting patterns in participants' experiences, expectations, and perceptions of the academic/community research relationship.

Four themes emerged from the research: (1) Urban Communities Want Feedback and Sustained Engagement, (2) Urban Communities Feeling Ignored or Used by Researchers, (3) Urban Communities Want Advocacy and Resources, not Just an Identification of the Problem, and (4) Consequences and Benefits for the Community Connector.

Findings highlight that meaningful engagement with urban communities requires reciprocal, sustained partnerships that extend beyond data collection. CRABs can serve as trusted conduits between universities and urban communities when researchers intentionally incorporate community feedback. Additionally, closing communication loops and translating research into actionable benefits can increase community engagement and show that dissemination of academic findings is a priority.