Challenges to Community Based Participatory Research in Little Haiti: Lessons Learned

Patne en Akyson (Partners in Action) is a campus-community partnership between academic investigators from the University of Miami and community leaders from Little Haiti, the predominately Haitian neighborhood in Miami, Florida. The partnership utilizes Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) practices to understand the excess cancer mortality experienced by residents of Little Haiti and to identify culturally acceptable means of intervention. As is consistent with the tenets of this methodology, the focus and scope of research reflects the collective expertise of academic and community members alike. Patne en Aksyon currently supports five research initiatives, which are all in different phases of implementation and subject to unique challenges. This presentation will examine these challenges and discuss the strategies that Patne's stakeholders employ to overcome them. Flexibility, primarily on the part of academic partners, is essential for success. The socio-political context of Little Haiti necessitates adapting study design mid-course, to accommodate cultural, economic and immigration issues that impinge upon study implementation and data collection efforts. Our experience and lessons learned may inform future CBPR initiatives with other, similarly underserved, immigrant groups in the United States and elsewhere.