Recorded presentation

Joyce Moon-Howard, DrPH and Ian Lapp, PhD. Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10032, 212-305-1937, jmh7@columbia.edu

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has received growing attention as domestic and international funding agencies and researchers have renewed a focus on an approach to health that recognizes the importance of social, political and economic systems to health behaviors and outcomes. The Institute Of Medicine’s (IOM) report Who Will Keep The Public Healthy? (2003) lists CBPR as one of the eight emerging content areas that should be integrated into public health education and practice. CBPR is a collaborative approach to research that recognizes the value of equitably involving the intended beneficiaries throughout all phases of program planning, implementation and evaluation. In recognition of the need for this type of training for the future public health professional, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health developed and successfully implemented a course on CBPR. This course is structured to engage students in interactive learning about CBPR through active participation in class and field-based assignments. An essential aspect of the course is to provide opportunities for faculty and students to engage with practitioners in community-based organizations and address the health issues of the surrounding community of Washington Heights and Harlem (New York City). This resulted in a unique teaching and learning experience which demonstrated the merits of an interdisciplinary, practice-based model. The outcomes of this course provide valuable lessons for improving health promotion initiatives and the development of new research initiatives.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key steps needed to developing a public health course that promotes collaboration between academics, practitioners, public health students, and the community.
• Discuss the skills necessary for participating effectively in community-based participatory research projects.
• Develop a local model for a Community-Based Participatory Research initiative that fosters academic and practice based partnerships.

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Participatory Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation