Community Engagement & Outreach Resource

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PROJECT SUMMARY: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH RESOURCE Community Engagement and Outreach Resource (CEOR) Abstract: CEOR, a Key Component Activity (KCA) of the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (LA CATS) is to facilitate meaningful community involvement in LA CaTS research at all levels. Expanded use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been noted as a “strategic imperative” to develop effective interventions to address health disparities. Community Engagement is an essential component to the research process. A review of the history of earlier population-based studies, in both majority and minority populations, indicates that requisite to a study's success is the comprehensive involvement of the study population's Community. Over the past four years of the initial funding cycle, CEOR has successfully forged and nourished relationships with various community members some of who serve on the two active community advisory boards in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Additionally, the CEOR provided web-based and in-person trainings to LA CaTS researchers, CAB members, and community organizations on core principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), health disparities and social determinants of health, and their application to clinical and translational research. With community input, CEOR investigators led two community-initiated, community-based projects (West Carroll Parish Project and Heart Failure Caregivers Study). These projects engaged the community, addressed community-identified health concerns, and aligned with LA CATS focus areas of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease – as such, they provide models for future CEOR-directed projects for the next funding cycle. To actively foster academic-community collaborative research, CEOR established the LA CaTS Community Scholars Program (LaCoSP), based on a successful program from LA CaTS collaborator, Medical University of South Carolina. Building on the foundation laid for the next funding cycle, the specific aims of the CEOR fall into three categories: 1) Expand and strengthen established trusted bi-directional relationship between researchers and the lay community – this will create more opportunities for academic-community research partnerships and to create the infrastructure for effective health promotion and dissemination of research findings; 2) Research/Community-Based Participatory Research Training/Education – this will ensure that both researchers and community are educated on the research process and strategies to effectively partner with the community in the conduct of clinical and translational research that address health disparities and improve health outcomes; and 3) Support research – CEOR will facilitate dialogue between community members and researchers to increase diversity in the participation of clinical and translational research. The important cross-cutting objectives of cultural and linguistic competence intersect with each of these areas.