Meredith Minkler, DrPH, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Earl Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, 510 642-4397, mink@uclink.berkeley.edu and Victoria Adela Vásquez Breckwich, MPH, MA, DrPH(c), School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720.

Community based participatory research (CPBR) differs from more traditional approaches to inquiry in part because of its commitment to action as an integral part of the research process. Increasingly, such action includes efforts to promote health-related public policy. Yet to date, no national study has examined the evidence base concerning efforts to impact on policy through CBPR and their outcomes. This paper describes a multi-site case study analysis of 10 CBPR projects around the U.S. that have attempted to directly promote health-related public policy, highlighting the challenges faced and the outcomes achieved. The case studies include community- professional partnerships addressing diverse areas including environmental justice, substance abuse, disability access and food security. Project research methods and advocacy strategies will be discussed, as will the difficulties inherent in teasing apart CBPR’s contributions to policy change from those of other stakeholders and environmental developments. The presentation will conclude with recommendations for other CBPR partnerships interested in working for public policy change on the local through the national levels.

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