The Art and Science of Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR): Methods, Me

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the last decade, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has emerged as an approach for addressing public health problems. Most importantly, academic and community-based entities have begun to form collaborative efforts based on CBPR principles to reduce racial/ethnic health disparities and improve minority health. These partnerships are fueled by the notion that many contemporary health problems involve complexities which will not be adequately addressed by traditional research approaches. At this time, there is a need to build upon the investment into CBPR to maximize the return for minority health and health disparity research by providing a conference forum that will promote use of CBPR approaches nationally among a diverse cadre of health behavior researchers. Designed by the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB), the proposed conference seeks to bring together leading CBPR experts (both behavioral scientists and community partners) who represent some of the most innovative research programs in the field of CBPR, minority health, and health disparities. The conference will provide a forum for academic and community experts to interact with conference participants about the strategies that predict successful outcomes in CBPR and the added value of CBPR for health behavior research. Conference attendees will include traditional researchers who have considerable expertise in one or more of a variety of priority content areas of relevance to racial/ethnic minority communities, but for whom CBPR is an approach which they are not well acquainted at this time. AAHB expects to expand how traditional health behavior researchers think about their work and increase the likelihood that they will adopt CBPR principles to improve minority health and reduce health disparities. AAHB has three objectives for this conference: (1) challenge senior investigators to expand their research to focus on high-priority minority health problems and the use of CBPR to address them; (2) mentor young, minority investigators in the production of high-quality scholarly products that address minority health concerns and health disparities using CBPR; and (3) build collaborative networks of academic and community-based experts to foster future CBPR partnerships to improve minority health and reduce health disparities. One key feature of the proposed conference is that community partners from existing CBPR projects will be included in the conference program to facilitate learning among researchers and partners alike. A second key feature is that AAHB and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Community Health Scholars Program will partner to establish a mentorship program for early career researchers from racial and ethnic minority groups. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has promise for improving public health. Yet, there is a great deal to learn about the application of this approach for helping communities. In addition, much remains to be learned about how traditional health behavior researchers understand participatory research, such as: (1) its potential for positively impact minority health and reduce/eliminate health disparities and (2) methods needed to be successful in developing and maintaining participatory relationships with non-academic community partners. Thus, the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB) proposes to hold a scientific meeting that will stimulate face-to-face intellectual discussion between (1) senior CBPR principal investigators, (2) community partners, and (3) traditional health behavior researchers on the application of CBPR to specifically address problems in minority health and health disparities. A conference of this type has not been held in recent years. In addition, we are not aware of meetings which have supported a mentoring program designed to build research capacity by fostering the development of early career researchers from racial and ethnic minority groups (traditionally underrepresented in science). AAHB expects that providing this conference will produce long lasting effects that will strengthen future CPBR efforts.