261055 Community expertise in CBPR: Beyond incentives to compensation

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Christina Hardy, MPH , Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Alexandra Lightfoot, EdD , Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Alice Ammerman, DrPH, RD , Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Kristin Black, MPH , Gillings School of Global Public Health / Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
David Caldwell , Coalition to End Environmental Racism, Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association, Chapel Hill, NC
Nettie Coad , The Partnership Project, Greensboro, NC
Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, MSc , TraCS Community Engagement Core, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Barbara Council , Community Enrichment Organization, Oak City, NC
Molly M. DeMarco, Post-docTrainee , Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Danny Ellis, MBA, PhD , St. Paul Baptist Church, Wilson, NC
Eugenia Eng, MPH, DrPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Barbara Harris , Community Action Council, Wallace, NC
Melvin Jackson, MSPH , Strengthening The Black Family, Inc., Raleigh, NC
Jimmy Jean-Baptiste, BA , Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Bonnie Jones, MSW, MSPH , Community Engagement Core, TraCS, Chapel Hill, NC
Nora Jones, MEd , The Partnership Project, Greensboro, NC
William Kearney, Reverend , Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church, Warrenton, NC
Mac Legerton, ABD , Center for Community Action, Pembroke, NC
Tony Locklear , Native American Interfaith Ministries, Maxton, NC
Melvin Muhammad, BS , Essential Engagement Inc., Tarboro, NC
Naeema Muhammad , Concerned Citizens of Tillery, North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, Rocky Mount, NC
Donald Parker, BA , Project Momentum, Inc., Rocky Mount, NC
Florence Simán, MPH , Health Programs, El Pueblo, Inc., Raleigh, NC
Mysha Wynn, MA , Project Momentum, Inc., Rocky Mount, NC
Background: Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches strive for equitable collaboration among academic and community partners in all aspects of research development and implementation. Finding ways to value the expertise of community partners presents challenges given the institutional structures and reward systems of the university. A new project at UNC, involving NC TraCS, home of its Clinical and Translational Science Award, and the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, aims to advance the work of community-engaged translational research by harnessing the expertise of community partners and paying them equitable rates as highly-skilled and knowledgeable CBPR consultants.

Methods: The “Community Expert” position was initiated to engage community partners with expertise in CBPR to provide technical assistance to community-academic partnerships. We received 32 applications and a community-academic review team selected 16 to serve as consultants. Community Experts provide advice through CBPR Charrettes, co-develop and deliver CBPR capacity-building workshops, and provide mentoring to community or academic partners seeking advice on research proposal development.

Results / Discussion: UNC's Community Experts have participated in 8 Charrettes, 16 workshops, 3 national conferences, 2 regional presentations, and provided individual consultations for 6 community-academic teams developing proposals. Evaluation data reveal they are valued by research partnerships as effective consultants. Experts are highly satisfied with the opportunity to expand their professional skills, social networks and capacity as consultants.

Conclusion: This project offers a model for how to increase equity between community and academic partners by valuing the expertise of community partners with new roles and equitable compensation.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
At the end of our presentation, a participant will be able to: 1. Name at least three services where community partners have been compensated in their work as consultants in collaboration with their academic partners at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2. Explain the value of compensating community partners for their contributions to support other Community-Based Participatory Research partnerships, by learning about the results of our qualitative evaluation data on these experiences.

Keywords: Community-Based Public Health, Community Capacity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract author on the content because I am serving as the Project Manager and guided the collaborative development of this abstract.
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.

Back to: 5115.0: The importance of community involvement in research