Community Engagement and Outreach

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Project Summary / Abstract The overall objective of the Community Engagement and Outreach (CEO) Core is to support investigators across the 13 Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network (CTR-IN) partner universities located throughout the Mountain West (MW) to focus our clinical and translational research activities on vulnerable populations experiencing health disparities. Our large urban populations separated by large areas inhabited by small rural communities both share one significant common characteristic: the existence of health disparities throughout both urban and rural residents of the MW region. Addressing health disparities in these regions can be challenging, as each community can have unique characteristics that must be considered when engaging in research designed to achieve health equity. We will accomplish our overall objective through the following 3 Specific Aims that will facilitate a community engagement approach to addressing the critical problem of health disparities across the MW Institutional Develop Award (IDeA) states. Through Aim 1, we will develop and implement the CEO Core, providing mentoring and training opportunities for CTR-IN researchers that conduct community-engaged research related to health disparities. In Aim 2, we will engage health care professionals, community members, and researchers through the development and implementation of regional and CEO Core Community Advisory Boards (CABs). These CABs will assist identifying and prioritizing health disparities within our regional populations for our CTR activities. Finally, Aim 3 will integrate community engagement throughout the CTR-IN Cores and network, implementing an overall philosophy of working with communities to improve health disparities throughout the MW IDeA state region. Community engagement is critical in health disparities research. An experienced CEO Core Director and Site Directors at each of the 13 institutions will serve as a vital informational network as they support investigators throughout the 7 states in their health disparities research studies, from concept through results dissemination.