Community-academic Partnership Research Articles

An Annual Symposium on Disparities in Milwaukee, WI, with a 2023 Focus on Older Adults with Cancer.

Cancer-related inequities are prevalent in Wisconsin, with lower survival rates for breast, colorectal, and lung cancer patients from marginalized communities. This manuscript describes the ongoing efforts at the Medical College of Wisconsin and potential pathways of community engagement to promote education and awareness in reducing inequities in cancer care. While some cancer inequities are related to aggressive disease biology, health-related social risks may be addressed through community-academic partnerships via an open dialogue between the community members and academic faculty. To develop potential pathways of community-academic partnerships, an annual Cancer Disparities Symposium concept evolved as a pragmatic and sustainable model in an interactive learning environment. In this manuscript, we describe the programmatic development and execution of the annual Cancer Disparities Symposium, followed by highlights from this year's meeting focused on geriatric oncology as discussed by the speakers.

Implementation Strategies to Promote Short-Course Radiation for Bone Metastases

For patients with nonspine bone metastases, short-course radiotherapy (RT) can reduce patient burden without sacrificing clinical benefit. However, there is great variation in uptake of short-course RT across practice settings. To evaluate whether a set of 3 implementation strategies facilitates increased adoption of a consensus recommendation to treat nonspine bone metastases with short-course RT (ie, ≤5 fractions). This prospective, stepped-wedge, cluster randomized quality improvement study was conducted at 3 community-based cancer centers within an existing academic-community partnership. Rollout was initiated in 3-month increments between October 2021 and May 2022. Participants included treating physicians and patients receiving RT for nonspine bone metastases. Data analysis was performed from October 2022 to May 2023. Three implementation strategies-(1) dissemination of published consensus guidelines, (2) personalized audit-and-feedback reports, and (3) an email-based electronic consultation platform (eConsult)-were rolled out to physicians. The primary outcome was adherence to the consensus recommendation of short-course RT for nonspine bone metastases. Mixed-effects logistic regression at the bone metastasis level was used to model associations between the exposure of physicians to the set of strategies (preimplementation vs postimplementation) and short-course RT, while accounting for patient and physician characteristics and calendar time, with a random effect for physician. Physician surveys were administered before implementation and after implementation to assess feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of each strategy. Forty-five physicians treated 714 patients (median [IQR] age at treatment start, 67 [59-75] years; 343 women [48%]) with 838 unique nonspine bone metastases during the study period. Implementing the set of strategies was not associated with use of short-course RT (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.45-1.34; P = .40), with unadjusted adherence rates of 53% (444 lesions) preimplementation vs 56% (469 lesions) postimplementation; however, the adjusted odds of adherence increased with calendar time (odds ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.20-2.36; P = .003). All 3 implementation strategies were perceived as being feasible, acceptable, and appropriate; only the perception of audit-and-feedback appropriateness changed before vs after implementation (19 of 29 physicians [66%] vs 27 of 30 physicians [90%]; P = .03, Fisher exact test), with 20 physicians (67%) preferring reports quarterly. In this quality improvement study, a multicomponent set of implementation strategies was not associated with increased use of short-course RT within an academic-community partnership. However, practice improved with time, perhaps owing to secular trends or physician awareness of the study. Audit-and-feedback was more appropriate than anticipated. Findings support the need to investigate optimal approaches for promoting evidence-based radiation practice across settings.

Community-Academic Partnership to Assess the Role of Physical Disinvestment on Firearm Violence in Toledo, OH.

Reversing physical disinvestment, e.g., by remediating abandoned buildings and vacant lots, is an evidence-based strategy to reduce urban firearm violence. However, adoption of this strategy has been inconsistent across US cities. Our community-academic partnership sought to support adoption in Toledo, OH, USA, by generating locally relevant analyses on physical disinvestment and firearm violence. We used a spatial case-control design with matching. Physical disinvestment measures were derived from a citywide parcel foot audit conducted by the Lucas County Land Bank in summer 2021. Firearm violence outcomes were incident-level shootings data from the Toledo Police Department from October 2021 through February 2023. Shooting locations were matched to controls 1:4 on poverty rate, roadway characteristics, and zoning type. Exposures were calculated by aggregating parcels within 5-min walking buffers of each case and control point. We tested multiple disinvestment measures, including a composite index. Models were logistic regressions that adjusted for the matching variables and for potential spatial autocorrelation. Our sample included N = 281 shooting locations and N = 1124 matched controls. A 1-unit increase in the disinvestment score, equal to approximately 1 additional disrepair condition for the average parcel within the walking buffer, was associated with 1.68 times (95% CI: 1.36, 2.07) higher odds of shooting incidence. Across all other measures, greater disinvestment was associated with higher odds of shooting incidence. Our finding of a strong association between physical disinvestment and firearm violence in Toledo can inform local action. Community-academic partnership could help increase adoption of violence prevention strategies focused on reversing physical disinvestment.

Abstract PO4-09-12: Academic-community partnership bridges disparities in African American patient representation in accelerated partial breast irradiation clinical trials

Abstract Purpose/Objectives: Clinical outcomes in African American (AA) patients diagnosed with breast cancer continue to lag behind other racial groups. Thus, AA women are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women despite lower incidence of breast cancer in AA women. Some of these disparities are related to barriers in access to standard-of-care treatments such as radiation therapy (RT). The prolonged nature of radiation treatments confers disproportionate higher burden (due to lost wages, transportation costs etc.) on economically disadvantaged groups such as AA women. Accelerated partial breast irradiation (ABPI), which dramatically reduces treatment time in appropriately selected patients, has the potential to mitigate financial toxicity, and improve access and treatment compliance for AA. However, underrepresentation of AA patients in APBI trials may pose a barrier to wide adoption of APBI treatments in this patient population. At our institution, we have established a unique partnership between our University Hospital and a county hospital that serves as a safety-net hospital for many economically disadvantaged groups and treats a large proportion of AA patients. The goal of this study is to determine if our unique academic-community partnership improves disparities in representation of AA patients in APBI trials. Methods: We performed a PUBMED search to identify 197 clinical trials involving ABPI. After excluding international trials and multiple reports from the same trials, we identified 80 unique studies that were based in the United States. A total of 20 studies investigating APBI provided demographics data, comprising 1735 total patients. AA enrollment rate in these trials was compared to APBI trials completed at our institution in partnership with our county hospital partner. Results: Out of 1785 patients enrolled in APBI trials in the United States where demographic information was available, 1488 patients were White (85.7%), 124 were Black (7.1%), 67 were Hispanic (3.9%), and 46 were Asian (2.7%), and 10 patients were classified as multiple or unknown (0.6%). We compared these results to two APBI trials conducted at our institution investigating 5-fraction and single fraction APBI regimens. Out of a total of 104 patients treated, 17 patients (16.3%) were Black. This difference in proportion of AA patient enrollment between our institution (16.3%) versus those reported in APBI trials across the United States (7.1%) was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Reporting and representation of AA patients in APBI trials remains low, which may lead to lower adoption of APBI treatments in AA patients. This may lead to underutilization of APBI, a convenient treatment with lower financial toxicity, among AA patients. Our study shows that effective academic-community partnerships can bridge such disparities in AA patient representation in APBI trials. Expansion of such academic-community partnerships across the country may bridge systemic disparities in AA patient representation in oncology clinical trials. Future studies are needed to determine if improved access to novel and convenient treatments such APBI will bridge existing disparities in clinical outcomes in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Citation Format: Ev Kakadiaris, Brian Lue, Young Suk Kwon, Prasanna Alluri, D Nathan Kim, Ann Sprangler, Mona Arbab, Robert Timmerman, Asal Rahimi. Academic-community partnership bridges disparities in African American patient representation in accelerated partial breast irradiation clinical trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO4-09-12.

Using Family Needs Assessments to Guide Place‐Based Services for Vulnerable Families: Lessons From the COVID‐19 Pandemic

ABSTRACTThe COVID‐19 pandemic created significant health, social and economic impacts, disproportionately affecting minority, immigrant and low‐income communities. Agencies were challenged to rapidly address emerging needs, yet most operated on anecdotal information. This paper describes a community‐informed family needs assessment in Miami, Florida, during November 2020–March 2021. It was conducted by a nonprofit agency collaborating with a university. The aims were to capture socio‐economic, educational and health needs experienced during the early pandemic to inform place‐based services. Eighty‐one participants, mostly Hispanic, foreign‐born parents, completed an anonymous online survey of pandemic experiences, with 15 parents participating in additional, in‐depth focus group discussions. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, results show that perceived economic, educational and psychosocial needs often exceeded and complicated health impacts, with basic needs including food/housing assistance, occupational programmes and online support groups. By coordinating the response around identified needs, this community–academic partnership strengthened and targeted their place‐based public health response, an approach that can serve to guide other communities.

The meaning of a youth council for suicide prevention: A reflective study with the youth council members

The Youth Council for Suicide Prevention is a group of high school and college students that advise and partner with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center on regional suicide prevention efforts. The purpose of this study was to explore the personal and professional impact and meaning of the youth’s experiences as council members. Stories, interviews, and artifacts were collected to illustrate their experiences on the council. A sample of 12 out of 15 consenting current YCSP members were involved in the design of a storytelling workshop and interview guide, interpretation of data, and member checking of themes. YCSP members reported specific benefits from engaging in the council, including feeling empowered to make community change, having the confidence to have open conversations about mental health, and making improvements to their own mental health. This study offers increased understanding of how youth benefit from community-academic partnerships for suicide prevention and the ingredients that make for successful collaborations.

Impact of veteran-led peer mentorship on posttraumatic stress disorder.

Peer mentorship shows promise as a strategy to support veteran mental health. A community-academic partnership involving a veteran-led nonprofit organization and institutions of higher education evaluated a collaboratively developed peer mentor intervention. We assessed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), postdeployment experiences, social functioning, and psychological strengths at baseline, midpoint, and 12-week discharge using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2, Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale, and Values in Action Survey. Brief weekly check-in surveys reinforced mentor contact and assessed retention. The sample included 307 veterans who were served by 17 veteran peer mentors. Mixed-effects linear models found a modest effect for PTSD symptom change, with a mean PCL-5 score reduction of 4.04 points, 95% CI [-6.44, -1.64], d = 0.44. More symptomatic veterans showed a larger effect, with average reductions of 9.03 points, 95% CI [-12.11, -5.95], d = 0.77. There were no significant findings for other outcome variables. Compared to younger veterans, those aged 32-57 years were less likely to drop out by 6 weeks, aORs = 0.32-0.26. Week-by-week hazard of drop-out was lower with mentors ≥ 35 years old, aHR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.37, 1.05]. Unadjusted survival differed by mentor military branch, p =.028, but the small mentor sample reduced interpretability. Like many community research efforts, this study lacked a control group, limiting the inferences that can be drawn. Continued study of veteran peer mentorship is important as this modality is often viewed as more tolerable than therapy.

Sustaining Community-Based Research in Computing: Lessons from Two Tech Capacity Building Initiatives for Local Businesses

The field of human-computer interaction (HCI) has traditionally focused on the design of novel technology artifacts. However, ensuring considerations for artifact maintenance and repair is crucial to sustainably supporting the populations they aim to serve over the long term. Drawing on two multi-year programs for tech capacity building in post-industrial U.S. cities, this article presents a comparative analysis to investigate the challenges and strategies for sustained community-based research in computing. In particular, our work detailed three considerations for academic-community partnerships. First, long-term partnerships prioritized transferring trust across academic and community personnel and continually set expectations that responded to evolving community initiatives (i.e., relational sustainability). Second, partnerships used academic support as a way to kickstart community initiatives, and flexibly reframed interventions to stay aligned with evolving community goals (i.e., economic sustainability). Third, partnerships trained personnel to provide technical support alongside interventions and prioritized advice that resisted short-term trends (i.e., technical sustainability). We provide concrete examples of how our two academic-community partnerships carried out such suggestions-such details go unreported in scholarly articles yet are essential for sustainability considerations. We discuss ongoing challenges, such as rethinking when longevity should and should not be the end goal.

Supporting psychosis research, implementation, and training through an academic intermediary-purveyor organization.

Intermediary-purveyor organizations (IPOs) are a type of dissemination support system that are intended to enhance the adoption and sustainment of empirically supported treatments (ESTs) by deploying empirically supported strategies to remediate implementation challenges. Despite the recent proliferation of government-funded IPOs for other psychiatric populations, IPOs that can redress the substantial science-to-practice gap among clients who experience psychotic disorders are not well documented. This article provides an overview of an IPO in an R1 academic medical center whose mission is to enhance access to evidence-based interventions for individuals who have or are at risk for a psychotic disorder. The article spotlights the functions of an IPO and illustrates these functions with a use case, cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis. We highlight IPO-led activities related to cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis purveyance, professional development, quality improvement, public awareness education and training, research and evaluation, as well as program and policy development. Finally, we address the advantages and disadvantages of establishing IPOs of this nature in academic medical centers, the importance of academic-community partnerships in advancing EST implementation, and present considerations for replication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

270 Four Pillars of Community Health and Research Engagement: The UT Southwestern CTSA Program’s Innovative Approach to Putting the Community Health Science Model into Practice

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Goals: Engage in collaborative approaches that target health disparities, especially among communities experiencing poverty or ethnic/racial minorities. Develop and sustain effective community-academic partnerships that foster trust through bidirectional communication and shared leadership leading to improved translational research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Community Health Science model was developed at UTSW over the past 20 years in efforts to integrate practices across 3 component areas – clinical practice, population health, and community organizations – into a single collaborative effort to improve health and reduce disparities. As part of the CTSA Program’s translational science efforts, we have extended this model to promote community engagement in research as an additional strategy needed to achieve health equity. Our Office of Community Health & Research Engagement operates 9 programs that each fit within one or more of 4 overarching conceptual pillars - Education/Resources, Collaboration/Partnership, Outreach/Service, Priorities/Perspectives - serving to bridge the community-academic divide and build strong, trusting relationships. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The implementation of our model has resulted in measurable outcomes. To date, we have hosted 23 HealthStreet community events resulting in 464 health screenings, 203 health needs assessments completed, and 123 individuals joining our Community Research Registry allowing for future contact to participate in research. Our Community Health Coalition, comprised of 32 organizations, provides a forum for co-learning between researchers and stakeholders. We have awarded 9 grants ($175,800) for community-engaged projects. Our Community Advisory Panel has participated in 8 sessions with research teams. A total of 13 projects utilized the Spanish Language Resource, for a total of 30,617 translated words. Finally, we have hosted 9 Community Engagement Grand Rounds lectures, which included a total of 559 attendees. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our model strengthens our capacity to build trust with communities and facilitate sustained community-academic partnerships. By prioritizing community engagement in research, we improve health equity by understanding community perspectives and increasing diversity in trials. We hope our model can be disseminated and scaled for greater impact.

239 Promoting Health Equity in South Los Angeles: A Place-Based Initiative in the Nickerson Gardens Housing Development

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Partnering with the Housing Authority of Los Angeles, we launched a place-based initiative in the Nickerson Gardens housing development in South Los Angeles, where we apply our community engagement approach of listening and learning, and trust and relationship building, to deliver public health interventions in a discrete community. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Nickerson Gardens is the largest housing development in Los Angeles, with 1,066 units and over 3,000 residents. 58% and 40% of the residents are Hispanic and Black/African American respectively with an average yearly income of less than $30,000. To build trust and establish relationships, our team began attending community events, holding weekly educational workshops, and participating in the summer program for youth. We also held listening sessions in English and Spanish that asked aboutthe overall health of the Nickerson Gardens community, environment and public space, access and barriers to care, needed healthcare services, and the lived experience within Nickerson Gardens. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: To date, we have held eight 90-minute listening sessions in English and Spanish with 59 participants. The sessions provided insight into theneeded health and educational resources and services, the organizational structure of the housing development and how that impacts access to information and services, as well as the nuanced and area-specific transportation issues and the connection to safety concerns. These findings will inform the next phase of this initiative which includes convening a Coordinating Council composed of service providers and Nickerson Gardens residents. This council will oversee the coordination and implementation of needed services, help maintain accountability of the providers, and offer residents the opportunity to take ownership of the process. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Academic-community partnerships are an effective strategy to deliver public health interventions and promote health equity in under-resourced communities. We tested and measured impact in a distinct community to reinforce a widely-applicable place-based model.

252 Psychosocial factors influencing the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle among African American adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted established social support networks (faith-based, community, family, friends), resulting in unprecedented health-related, financial, and employment challenges among African Americans (AAs). This study explores the psychosocial influences of the pandemic on the health and wellness of AAs. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The FAITH! (Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health!) Program, an academic-community partnership with AA churches, shifted focus to COVID-19 prevention in AA communities. Funded by the Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translation Sciences, this cross-sectional study recruited AA adults from FAITH!-affiliated churches and social media to complete a survey exploring the personal impact of the pandemic from hardships (e.g., food and housing insecurity, paying utilities) on healthy lifestyle (HL). The primary outcome was difficulty maintaining a HL during the pandemic. Logistic regression (odds ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs)) was used to examine the associations between difficulty maintaining a HL and factors including COVID-19 hardships and mental health. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Participants (N=169, 71.4% female, 41.4% essential workers) had a mean age [SD] of 49.4 [14.9] years. Over half (91/169, 54%) reported difficulty maintaining a HL. Those reporting unemployment (OR 2.3; 95% CI [1.2,4.4]; p=0.008), difficulty paying rent (OR 4.1; 95% CI [2.1,8.6]; p<0.001), or food/utilities (OR 5.5; 95% CI [2.7,11.5]; p<0.001) all had greater odds of difficulty maintaining a HL. High stress (≥5/10, scale 1-10) was associated with difficulty maintaining a HL (OR 4.1; 95% CI [2.1,8.5]; p<0.001) compared to AAs with low stress. Negative mental health (depression (OR 3.4; 95% CI [1.0,13.7]; p<0.001), anger (OR 2.5; 95% CI [0.5,18.9]; p=0.005), and nervousness (OR 4.1; 95% CI [1.1,19.5]; p=0.003) was associated with difficulty maintaining a HL compared to AAs with positive mental health. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study findings revealed that COVID-19 hardships, stress, and negative mental health impacted the ability of AAs to maintain a HL. These issues should be considered in the design and implementation of community-based health programs to promote healthy living during future public health emergencies.

207 Building a community-academic partnership to facilitate translational research and identify and reduce barriers to mental healthcare services and resources in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Clinical and epidemiological studies focusing on Hispanics/Latinos are often designed by academic researchers with little input from mental health professionals in underserved communities. Our objective is to establish an academic-community partnership in South Texas to help improve mental health outcomes of Hispanics. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Hispanics in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV, South Texas) are burdened with high rates of diabetes and obesity, and interventions have been identified for these conditions, but there is less information about strategies that may help improve their mental health status and address needs. We have explored mental health and psychological factors in Hispanics/Latinos in Latin America (Gil etal., 2021) and consider community participation in the research process to be an understudied topic. Thus, in the present study, we recruited mental health professionals in the RGV to establish an academic-community partnership as a strategy to facilitate translational research that focuses on RGV Hispanics. Partners worked as a team to generate information, identify problems and solutions, and design future projects. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Our academic team (at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) successfully established a partnership with the Cameron County Mental Task Force (CCMHTF), a non-profit organization in South Texas that seeks to “meet the mental and behavioral health needs of the people” in South Texas. The CCMHTF comprises 12 board members that are representative of RGV mental health providers: counselors, social workers, academic clinicians, hospital and county employees, and mental and behavioral health facility providers/clinicians. Our partnership generated qualitative descriptions of the mental health needs of RGV Hispanics/Latinos and barriers to access and utilization of mental health services in South Texas. In the future (phase 2 of the study), we plan to report results of focus groups and mental health assessments. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Hispanics/Latinos are underrepresented in clinical/translational research, and this lack of representation is particularly true for Hispanics/Latinos living along the U.S.-Mexico border of the RGV, South Texas. Our academic-community partnership may serve as a model to facilitate translational research in underserved Hispanic communities.

565 Empowering Community Organizations with the Team Science Community Toolkit

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To introduce the new Team Science Community Toolkit, co-created by community and academic partners, and showcase its potential to empower Community Organizations (COs) in achieving equity in community-engaged research (CER). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In response to the challenges faced by COs in CER collaborations, qualitative interviews were conducted with CO staff from historically marginalized communities. These interviews informed the development of the Team Science Community Toolkit, a collaborative effort involving a Community Advisory Board (CAB) and Team Science experts from Northwestern University. The toolkit, designed using a community-based participatory research approach, incorporates the Science of Team Science and User-Centered Design principles. Integrated into the NIH-sponsored COALESCE website, it includes templates, checklists, and interactive tools, along with a real-world simulation, to support COs in all stages of the research process. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Focus groups and usability testing involving external community experts validated the toolkit’s content and usability. Participants expressed enthusiasm and a sense of empowerment, indicating that the toolkit allows them to actively shape research processes and infuse their specific voices and needs into their partnerships. The toolkit is designed to support breaking down barriers like jargon and cultural adaptability to improve accessibility and open conversation. The impact of this Team Science focused toolkit is under evaluation. This presentation will showcase the toolkit, detail its collaborative development, and explore potential applications, ultimately offering a path to more equitable and valuable community-based research. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: By providing COs with the resources and knowledge to participate as equal partners in research collaborations, it enhances self-advocacy, transparency, and equity. The toolkit has the potential to utilize Team Science to foster productive communication in community-academic research partnerships.

251 The Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN) Newsletter: Supporting Communication and Collaboration among Academic and Community Partners to Improve Health in Appalachia

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN) Newsletter provides a unique platform that facilitates communication among Appalachian-serving CTSAs/CTSIs and partnering academic and community organizations that strengthens research efforts and advances translational science across the region. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Published biannually, each ATRN Newsletter features content submitted by ATRN member universities and organizations. Members of the Communications Committee, who represent both CTSA- or non-CTSA- affiliated ATRN member institutions, provide as well as review and edit content for the Newsletter. Regular features include researcher and community member spotlights; funding opportunity announcements; information on upcoming seminars, trainings, and special events; and opportunities for collaborations among partnering ATRN institutions. Complementing regularly scheduled Newsletters, special editions are released as warranted, such as a special COVID-19 focused edition published in 2020. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: First published in 2012, the ATRN Newsletter initially represented founding ATRN institutions, the University of Kentucky and the Ohio State University CTSAs, and a readership of 50. Reflecting ATRN growth that now represents 9 academic centers including NCATS- and IDeA-funded hubs, affiliated universities and partnering organizations, readership has grown to include 500 subscribers from across the U.S. and 3 other countries. With the establishment of the official ATRN website in 2019, the ATRN Newsletter became a prominent addition, providing ATRN members’ access to both new and archived editions, thereby expanding reach and further strengthening critical communication across the Network. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Providing a vehicle for communication that supports ATRN collaborations and networking, the Newsletter is foundational to the success of the ATRN mission to improve health outcomes across Appalachia by fostering collaborative inter-institutional and community-academic research partnerships.

255 The Community Research Liaison Model: Facilitating community-engaged research

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Community Research Liaison Model (CRLM) is a novel model to facilitate community engaged research (CEnR) and community–academic research partnerships focused on health priorities identified by the community. We describe the CRLM development process and how it is operationalized today. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The CRLM, informed by the Principles of Community Engagement, builds trust among rural communities and expands capacity for community and investigator-initiated research. We followed a multi-phase process to design and implement a community engagement model that could be replicated. The resulting CRLM moves community–academic research collaborations from objectives to outputs using a conceptual framework that specifies our guiding principles, objectives, and actions to facilitate the objectives (i.e., capacity, motivations, and partners), and outputs. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The CRLM has been fully implemented across Oregon. Six Community Research Liaisons collectively support 18 predominantly rural Oregon counties. Since 2017, the liaison team has engaged with communities on nearly 300 community projects. The CRLM has been successful in facilitating CEnR and community–academic research partnerships. The model has always existed on a dynamic foundation and continues to be responsive to the lessons learned by the community and researchers. The model is expanding across Oregon as an equitable approach to addressing health disparities across the state. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our CRLM is based on the idea that community partnerships build research capacity at the community level and are the backbone for pursuing equitable solutions and better health for communities we serve. Our model is unique in its use of CRLs to facilitate community–academic partnerships; this model has brought successes and challenges over the years.

345 Fostering academic-community research teams to conduct community-engaged research in environmental justice communities: The RISE Communities R25 program

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Residents of environmental justice (EJ) communities experience significantly higher rates of negative health outcomes associated with poor air quality. Low-cost air sensors may supplement regulatory monitoring to better measure air pollution at local scales, but widespread application of this technology remains limited due to many challenges. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: To address these obstacles, we designed a training program to equip community and academic research partners with the skills and knowledge to successfully apply low-cost sensors in community-engaged environmental health research. The R esearch Innovations using Sensor Technology in Environmental Justice Communities (RISE Communities) program was established through an NIEHS R25 award in 2022 and has three specific aims: 1) Foster community-academic partnerships through research education, training, and team development activities, 2) Provide technical training in the application of low-cost sensors for indoor, outdoor, and personal air monitoring in EJ communities, and 3) Establish a community of practice to address air quality in communities nationwide. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We hosted our first cohort in August 2023, training five community-academic research teams in team collaboration, community-engaged research, and technical skills for collecting and analyzing data from PurpleAir sensors. Each team received 12 sensors to take to their home EJ communities to begin their projects. Community of practice development continues through interactive webinars and development of a web-based repository of training videos and discussion board posts. Evaluation data show high participant learning and satisfaction, with mean confidence scores improving on 6/8 metrics. Evaluation data also suggest several areas for improvement such as more time spent in teams for planning and additional opportunities for interaction within the cohort and with program instructors for problem-solving. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Effective training for team-based community-engaged research requires careful planning for team development and study implementation. Longitudinal training and support for the technical aspects of utilizing air sensors is also critical to team success. The RISE Communities program is actively recruiting for future training cohorts.

269 Benefits of leveraging community-academic partnerships to plan and implement the Great Plains IDeA CTR Annual Community-Engaged Research Institute

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Building community-engaged research capacity is imperative to improve translation, but not everyone exhibits capacity to conduct research, especially community. We modified the research institute planning and implementation process between 2022 and 2023 to increase community appeal and engagement. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The 2022 and 2023 Community-Engaged Research Institutes (CERI) varied in their formats. For 2022, we hosted a one-hour planning session with community-academic dyads from our Community Advisory Board facilitated by the CEO director and co-director. The 2022 CERI consisted of five sessions totaling 12 hours. The first session was hybrid, followed by four virtual sessions. For 2023, we hosted two, facilitated one-hour planning sessions with community partners who attended the 2022 CERI, based on feedback and attendance from 2022. The 2023 CERI was consolidated to a seven-hour, one-day hybrid session. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In 2022, two community partners participated as CERI panelists. There were 95 unique attendees spanning five days. Of the 95 attendees, 67% (n=64) were researchers and 33% (n=31) were community members. In 2023, eight community partners participated as CERI panelists and presenters. There were 57 unique attendees, of which 61% (n=34) were researchers and 39% (n=23) were community members. When comparing attendance for 2022 (29%, n=28) and 2023 (86%, n=49), in-person attendance was increased by 57%. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In 2023, we focused on research capacity building for community partners to align with community engagement principles and increasing research impact across the translational spectrum. Partnering with community elevated appeal for community participation and an increase in-person attendance.

An Academic-Community Partnership to Address Gun Violence in the Roseland Neighborhood of Chicago.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for youth. This study examined an academic-community partnership to address gun violence through a strength-based approach called Asset-Based Community Development. We used a case study design. Participants were Black youth who encounter frequent gun violence (average age = 16.7 years; 72% male). Our partnership involved survey development/completion and semistructured discussions. We also interviewed community stakeholders to collect data on local assets. We interpreted data through a communitywide forum to guide social action to address gun violence. The majority of youth (76%) witnessed neighborhood violence in the last year. The top youth concerns related to gun violence included poverty, guns, and gangs. Community stakeholders saw local people and local organizations as primary community assets. A community forum to interpret these data led to social action in the form of an environmental strategy-cleaning up an unused commercial building for the development of a youth tech center. The majority of youth participants (89.5%) agreed or strongly agreed that they had a voice in the research process. Participatory research that takes an asset-based approach can enable relevant inquiry that engages youth and guides social action to address gun violence.

243 Community-Campus Research Incubator (CCRI) Grant Program: 13 years of partnerships improving community health

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: With the knowledge that population health will not improve without including community voices in research, analysis of the UCI Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) Community-Campus Research Incubator (CCRI) grants awarded since 2010 provides the foundation for understanding research partnerships impact on community health. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Over the past 13 years, the UCI ICTS CCRI program has funded 63 partnered research pilot or capacity-building projects, providing up to $30K annually to academic-community partnerships. Each year since 2010, between 3 and 7 projects were funded up to $5,000 annually for capacity-building activities and up to $10,000 annually for pilot research activities. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a collaboration between the UCI ICTS and the local Healthcare Agency provided up to $20,000 to research partnership teams to study impact and interventions related to the pandemic, where 10 CCRI awards were given out. Evaluations of these research teams was completed at the end of the project, and at years 2 and 3 after the project ended. Analysis of the projects and partnerships aim to reveal the impact of these projects. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In 2023, we compiled all evaluation data collected from 2010 – 2023 from the CCRI partnership grants, including traditional metrics of publications, subsequent grant applications submitted & awarded, presentations given, and return on investment for ICTS granted funds. Less traditional metrics include number of students trained, new tools or databases created, knowledge disseminated, and advances in clinical care. Since 2020, Translational Science Benefit Model metrics have been collected on community, policy, economic, and clinical domains. Since 2015, data on each CCRI partnership has been collected at the start and end of each project, with questions about attributes of each partner, trust, community engagement principles, and anticipated/actual impact of each project. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Organizing outcomes from the data collected will provide deep understanding of important components, functioning, and types and reach of partnered health research. This understanding will inform future action of the CCRI program in terms of what can be accomplished with a given amount of funding, and the constitution of successful partnerships.