221770 Enhancing social justice in research: Building an effective CBPR collaboration between two Pacific Islander community partners and a university research team

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 4:43 PM - 4:56 PM

Anthony S. DiStefano, PhD, MPH , Department of Health Science, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Lourdes Flores Quitugua , Guam Communications Network, Long Beach, CA
Jay Aromin, CHRN , Guam Communications Network, Long Beach, CA
Angelica Barrera-Ng, BS, CHES , Department of Health Science, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Jeany Dimaculangan , Guam Communications Network, Long Beach, CA
Brian Hui , Tongan Community Service Center, Hawthorne, CA
Ruth Peters-Pak, MPH , Department of Health Science, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Joey Quenga , TOA Institute, Long Beach, CA
Lola Santos , Guam Communications Network, Long Beach, CA
Lois Takahashi, PhD, MS , Department of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Vanessa Tui'one, BA , Tongan Community Service Center, Hawthorne, CA
'Isileli Vunileva , Tongan Community Service Center, Hawthorne, CA
Sora Park Tanjasiri, DrPH , Department of Health Science, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR), applied faithfully according to its postcolonial principles, is inherently conducive to social justice among its institutional and community partners by promoting egalitarian collaborations through all stages of a research project. During a one-year qualitative needs assessment study, we built an effective academic-community collaboration between a university research team and two Pacific Islander community based organizations (CBOs). Responding to a National Cancer Institute call for research exploring HIV/AIDS-related cancers, our CBOs worked closely with the academic team to examine HIV and HPV risk and prevention among young adults in Chamorro and Tongan communities in Southern California. The CBOs took the lead in several areas: determining that the most locally relevant and culturally appropriate point of entry to studying HIV/AIDS-related cancers was to first investigate HIV and its potential connections to HPV; convening a new community advisory board; recruiting study participants; and collecting data. Community and academic partners collaboratively chose the research design, and the academic team built CBO capacity by conducting trainings on HIV, HPV, sampling, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. To build trust, the decision making process incorporated island-style meeting protocols centered on eating together and “talk story”. Through our successful CBPR collaboration, we have ensured the production of a shared discourse on our research topic, not one dominated by either the academic or CBO side; and we have solidified a relationship for future projects. This is critical, as social justice in the wider community can begin in the microcosm of such equal partnerships.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Identify 3 key components of building an effective CBPR collaboration between community based organizations and university research teams; and 2. Discuss implications of the construction of such a CBPR collaboration to social justice in the community

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Asian and Pacific Islander

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I work with Guam Communications Network and the Chamorro community. I oversee programs on chronic disease prevention, HIV/HPV, breast and cervical cancer.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.