CTSI Community Engaged Research Initiative e-Library: Intro to CEnR

Overview of Community Based-Participatory Research/ Community Engagement & Research

CERI's e-Library equips both community-based organizations (CBOs) and researchers with training, videos, and other capacity-building tools for researchers and community partners to equitably and fully engage in Community Engaged Research (CEnR). 

Community Involvement in Research

What does community-engaged research look like?

  • Community stakeholders on project steering committees and other deliberative and decision-making bodies
  • Community advisory boards
  • Compensation for the community's time and other contributions
  • Dissemination of results back out to the community
  • Takes time!

What community-engaged research is NOT

  • Focus groups or interviews
  • A research methodology
  • A bolt-on
  • A one-size fits all approach
  • Appropriate for all research
  • Recruitment of minority research participants
  • A relinquishing of all insight or control by researchers

Principles of Community Engagement (Developed by the NIH, CDC, ATSDR, and CTSA)

  • Be clear about the purposes of engagement and the populations you wish to engage

  • Become knowledgeable about the community

  • Establish relationships

  • Collective self-determination is the responsibility and right of the community

  • Partnering is necessary to create change and improve health

  • Recognize and respect the diversity of the community

  • Mobilize community assets and develop community capacity to take action

  • Release control of actions and be flexible to meet changing needs

  • Collaboration requires long-term commitment

Community Engagement Terminology

Community - groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting community health and well-being (e.g., community residents, identity, affiliation or interest, circumstances, profession or practice, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, and family).

Community-based research takes place outside the walls of the researcher's clinical or academic home.

Community-engaged research (CEnR) "begins with a research topic of importance to the community, has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparites." *

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a "collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings." *

*WK Kellogg Community Health Scholars Program

Health Equity at Duke: Overview