Learning in action: Community-based participatory research training for public health students

Increasingly, community-based participatory research (CBPR) is considered an essential approach for guiding public health research and practice. Educating MPH students in CBPR is critical in order to produce a new generation of public health professionals who are versed in CBPR principles, methods, and implementation challenges. We report on the development of a new MPH program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY with a concentration in Community-based Research. We will present a program logic model identifying resources, strategies, processes, and outcomes needed to meet objectives in the areas of education, research, and service. Specific pedagogical approaches to be discussed include: (a) incorporating community-based research into the curriculum through classroom learning, research practice in the field (practicum), and a capstone experience; (b) identifying, fostering, and assessing student competencies related to community-based research; and (c) the value of a dual focus on team-based student projects and personal reflection exercises. We also will discuss challenges to implementing a service learning model in the MPH curriculum and lessons for how an MPH program can serve as a vehicle for developing community-academic partnerships and community research capacity.