141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

281450
Community voices: Community partner perspectives on benefits, challenges, facilitating factors and lessons learned from community-based participatory research partnerships

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Angela G. Reyes, MPH , Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Detroit, MI
Wilma Brakefield-Caldwell, BSN , Community Action Against Asthma, Steering Committee Member, Detroit, MI
Zachary Rowe, BBA , Friends of Parkside, Detroit, MI
Julia Weinert, MPH , Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Barbara Israel, DrPH MPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
There is a growing body of literature on community-based participatory research (CBPR) and the role of community-academic partnerships, much of which has involved community partners in the conceptualization and preparation of publications. In addition, as discussed in much of this literature, one of the core principles of CBPR is an emphasis on co-learning and capacity building that recognizes the value of both community and academic partners as “learners” and “teachers” with the need for capacity building in each setting. At the same time, there has been a relative dearth of solely community voices addressing these topics, given the other roles and responsibilities which community members and leaders of community-based organizations have. The purpose of this presentation is to share the perspectives of three long-time (over 17 years) community partners involved in the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center and its affiliated partnerships. These partnerships build upon community strengths, to conduct etiologic research, public health interventions, and policy advocacy aimed at understanding and addressing health inequities.

In this presentation, we community partners will provide our assessment of: the benefits and challenges in using a CBPR approach - at the personal, organizational and community levels; and the factors that facilitate effective partnerships. We will discuss the history of and context within which our involvement in CBPR efforts has occurred and how this has changed over time. We will describe our lessons learned through engagement in CBPR, and will present specific recommendations from a community perspective to researchers interested in conducting community-academic collaborative research.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the history and context of research conducted in Detroit, Michigan and how that has changed over time through the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center and affiliated partnerships. Explain the benefits and challenges of using a community-based participatory approach to research, at the personal, organizational and community levels. Identify factors that facilitate effective community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships. List recommendations from a community perspective to researchers interested in conducting CBPR.

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have nearly twenty years of experience working in community-based participatory research partnerships to promote health and equity. I am the Executive Director of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation (DHDC) a community-based organization in Detroit, MI and was a founding member of the Detroit Urban Research Center (Detroit URC). In addition to participation on the Detroit URC Board, I serve on several Steering Committees of Detroit URC affiliated community-based participatory research partnerships.
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.