Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114285

Valerie B. Yerger, MA, ND, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0612, San Francisco, CA 94143-0612, (415) 476-2784, valyer@itsa.ucsf.edu, Carol McGruder, San Francisco African American Tobacco Free Project, 390 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, Erika Sivarajan Froelicher, RN, PhD, School of Nursing and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, 2 Koret Way, #N-631, San Francisco, CA 94143-0610, Ruth E. Malone, RN, PhD, Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0612, San Francisco, CA 94143-0612, and P.H.A.T. Community Research Partners, University of California, San Francisco & San Francisco African American Tobacco Free Project, UCSF Box 0612, San Francisco, CA 94143-0612.

Recently, there has been increased interest in and funding support for community based participatory research (CBPR), in which academic researchers work in partnership with community members. This interest arose out of a need to engage marginalized communities which are affected by health disparities, build community capacity, and end relationships of 'dominance over' in favor of 'partnerships toward' health. Some funding agencies have developed research funding mechanisms explicitly requiring both academic and community co-Principal Investigators and use of community participatory research approaches. Yet such partnerships can prove to be difficult mergers. Drawing on CBPR principles, we discuss a case example encountered in one such current partnership (the Protecting the 'Hood Against Tobacco project). Community-academic research partnerships may face numerous institutional and other obstacles, including: a) human subjects review issues, b) insurance coverage and liability issues for community-based activities, c) role delineation and development, d) the dynamic nature of such projects, and e) the sometimes conflicting demands and expectations of academic and community partners. If community-based participatory research partnerships with academia are valued as worthwhile, then research partners, funders and institutions must consider how to address existing structural and other barriers to such projects.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe three benefits of successful community-academic partnerships to conduct tobacco-related community participatory research.
• Anticipate institutional and other obstacles to community-academic research partnerships and consider ways to address them.

Keywords: Tobacco Policy, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.