Disseminating research findings to increase community engagement in research

Although researchers often disseminate findings to scientific audiences, few communicate results back to participating non-university communities. In our community-university partnership, African American community members informed us that dissemination was a valued and necessary process. We planned a community “poster” session to begin disseminating research information back to communities who could benefit from the findings and whose participation makes research possible. We selected 33 poster presentations about locally-conducted research from a university Institute for Public Health conference. Posters (n=24) were systematically rated by community leaders and researchers on 3 areas: significance to the community, relevance to community-identified priorities, and potential applicability to community health providers and community-based organizations (CBOs). Raters (n=12) were selected to represent health providers, CBOs, prior research participants, and several academic disciplines. Raters were also asked to suggest revisions to posters. Ratings were tallied to identify “top” posters for this community presentation. With assistance from the project team, the authors of selected posters revised their presentations based on raters' input. Common revisions included translating posters into plain language, reducing content, and adjusting graphics. Final posters were displayed at an annual community event celebrating local African American healthcare leaders. Our goals were to enhance researcher-community interactions by sharing scientific knowledge and expertise and to help researchers learn better framing of their work for broader audiences. The experience created opportunities for dialogue about community connectivity and how community members and researchers interact. The session was well received and we will continue adapting the presentations for various lay audiences and venues.