Community Engagement Principles Research Articles

Health equity principles for oncology real world evidence studies.

Real-world research on cancer care in the community should address social determinants of health (SDOH) to advance health equity in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. We sought patient and stakeholder perspectives to co-develop research principles to guide researchers when using patient record data to address health equity in their research protocols. Key informant interviews with 13 individuals elicited perspectives and insights related to health equity and SDOH when conducting research using data from community-based oncology care. Interviews included a brief overview of a prior scoping review and related questions in the interview guide. Key informants included experts in health equity and SDOH, and patient and community advisory board members. Rapid qualitative analysis was used to identify key themes, patterns, and insights from the interview data. Principles were developed based on the results of the analysis. Three overarching categories for promoting health equity were (1) education; (2) community engagement; and (3) research design and implementation. Education principles highlight the necessity of training in relevant skills to address health equity. Community engagement principles highlight various actions that researchers can take to conduct research inclusive of community concerns regarding health equity. The research design and implementation category provides practical guidelines for researchers in planning, conducting, and disseminating community-based oncology research to address health equity. Our principles guide oncology real-world research protocols to address SDOH in community settings and promote health equity. These principles should be tailored to specific cancer topics and communities.

Developing a community-responsive research model in the healthcare system: a mixed-method study

BackgroundResponsiveness to the population’s non-clinical needs encompasses various dimensions, including responsive research and an educational outreach plan at the community level. This study aims to develop a community-responsive research model in the healthcare system to ensure the connection between community-identified health priorities and research funds, as well as capacity-building efforts.MethodsA mixed-methods research study was conducted in three main phases, including a comprehensive literature review, a qualitative analysis of an expert panel’s points of view, and the developing of a model using the Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. R software version 3.2.4 was used to conduct statistical analysis, considering a significance level of 0.05.ResultsBased on the literature review, 41 responsiveness components were identified from sixteen relevant studies conducted between 2000 and 2022. Ten sub-themes in four major themes, including planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and action, were identified through qualitative content analysis. Standardized coefficients revealed that components such as dissemination of results to all stakeholders, research prioritization aligned with community needs, commitment to implement research findings, and collaborative learning had statistically significant effects on the community-responsive research model.ConclusionIt is essential to identify community health priorities by following a community-focused, priority-setting process based on the principles of community engagement to develop a community-responsive research model. Afterward, dissemination of research findings to all stakeholders, commitment to apply the obtained results in the real world, and promotion of shared learning among research partners have been proven to facilitate collaborative investigation and mutual understanding between the community and academic partners.

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.

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.

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.

Building a Community Partnership for the Development of Health Ministries Within the African American Community: The Triad Pastors Network

African Americans continue to have worse health outcomes despite attempts to reduce health disparities. This is due, in part, to inadequate access to healthcare, but also to the health care and medical mistrust experienced by communities of color. Churches and worship centers have historically served as cultural centers of trusted resources for educational, financial, and health information within African American communities and a growing number of collaborations have developed between academic institutions and community/faith entities. Herein, we describe the infrastructure of a true and sustainable partnership developed with > 100 prominent faith leaders within the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina for the purpose of developing or expanding existing health ministries within houses of worship, to improve health literacy and overall health long-term. The Triad Pastors Network is an asset-based partnership between the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and faith leaders in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina that was created under the guiding principles of community engagement to improve health equity and decrease health disparities experienced by African American communities. A partnership in which co-equality and shared governance are the core of the framework provides an effective means of achieving health-related goals in a productive and efficient manner. Faith-based partnerships are reliable approaches for improving the health literacy needed to address health disparities and inequities in communities of color.

Community engagement in genetics and genomics research: a qualitative study of the perspectives of genetics and genomics researchers in Uganda

BackgroundGenerally, there is unanimity about the value of community engagement in health-related research. There is also a growing tendency to view genetics and genomics research (GGR) as a special category of research, the conduct of which including community engagement (CE) as needing additional caution. One of the motivations of this study was to establish how differently if at all, we should think about CE in GGR.AimTo assess the perspectives of genetics and genomics researchers in Uganda on CE in GGR.MethodA cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted at Makerere University and Uganda Virus Research Institute. Twenty-five individuals participated, the majority being male (sixteen). Participants included nineteen genetics and genomics researchers (researchers and research coordinators), two CE officers, three nurses and one nursing counsellor. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and analyzed in a thematic manner using NVivo version 12 Plus.Study findingsThirteen of the respondents had conducted CE in their GGR in either a geographical and disease-specific community. Some respondents said CE principles are the same and there is no need for special consideration for CE in GGR. Others gave ethical issues in GGR that require special consideration for CE in such research and these were categorized into six themes: GGR is new to communities, Difficulty in communicating GGR by the researchers, Genes are shared in communities, Cultural sensitivities against GGR, Community attitude toward GGR, Some GGR studies take long to end, and Negotiation of research benefits. Special considerations for CE when conducting GGR were suggested and categorized into seven themes: creating awareness of GGR in communities, obtaining both community acceptance and individual consent, CE team composition, involve communities in solving GGR challenges, prolong CE in some GGR, develop guidelines for CE in GGR, and legal considerations on GGR.ConclusionGGR was characterized by special issues that require special CE considerations for such research.

“A program works better when the people using it help build it:” Co-Designing for Organizational Change with a Trauma-Informed Advisory Committee of Service Users 

Introduction: In Canada, as in many parts of the world, people with disabilities experience structural violence; they are more likely to face social exclusion and stigma and to live in poverty than their peers without disabilities. March of Dimes Canada (MODC) is transforming its programming by centering service users’ voices in decision-making, including program design, moving forward through an organizational initiative to emerge from this study. This paper focuses on a participatory action research project nested within a larger study Empowering Client Voices. The first half outlines what trauma-informed means in the context of a large cross-disability national advisory committee. How do we build awareness and sensitivity with senior-level management and staff about ableism and systemic barriers people with disabilities and frontline workers face daily? The second half focuses on operationalizing trauma-informed practices by working alongside March of Dimes Canada’s clients to co-design community engagement principles. 
 Method: As part of a larger participatory action research project, we have assembled an advisory committee to co-design community engagement principles to inform MODC’s transformation. We conduct monthly co-design workshops and focus groups. A researcher and facilitator with lived experience of caregiving/advocacy guides the discussion alongside service users taking leadership roles. All participants receive an honorarium in recognition of their efforts. 
 Results: As the project progresses (data collection begins in January 2023), we will have preliminary findings relevant to researchers and practitioners engaging through co-design in academic and community fora. We have already learned that being trauma-informed in our transformational initiative with a cross-disability community means 1) co-designing with service users as partners, 2) co-creating fully accessible spaces, and 3) understanding the impacts of navigating the daily trauma of structural violence brought about by ableism and lack of access to essential supports. Beginning in January, we will be unpacking the role of language by attending to questions such as: what language do we use when approaching our service users’ complex and intersecting identities? What language do we use when approaching diagnosis, service user feedback, goal setting, and well-being in client-facing materials and staff training? 
 Discussion and Conclusion: In running the advisory committee, at the heart of the study, we are developing and operationalizing a set of best practices to guide organizational trauma-informed practices in the context of community engagement. These best practices include 1) Community-based (co-designed) research, 2) strengths-based approaches, and 3) trauma-informed practices. MODC is intentionally shaping the advisory committees through well-established best practices of trauma-informed care in an organizational (rather than clinical) setting. These best practices along with the co-designed community engagement principles will anchor our organizational transformation in suggestions from MODC’s service users.
 Lessons and Future Research: In assembling our advisory committee, we are learning that (for MODC’s service users) accessibility, and universal design for access, are the foundations of trauma-informed care in the context of a cross-disability advisory committee. Future research should build on this finding by examining the implications of dis/ability, and (normalized) forms of structural violence, such as poverty and ableism, within the context of co-design with service users.

Land Subsidence Policy in the Context of Good Governance Principles (Comparing Indonesia and Japan)

Land subsidence poses a significant environmental challenge globally, fueled mainly by anthropogenic activities such as excessive groundwater extraction, rampant overdevelopment, and alterations in soil geological structures. This issue has far-reaching consequences, including infrastructure deterioration, heightened flood vulnerabilities, and severe threats to both the environment and local communities. The city of Jakarta, Indonesia, has experienced a particularly pronounced impact from land subsidence since the 1980s. This study delves into the governmental responses of Indonesia and Japan to address the complex problem of land subsidence, emphasizing their adherence to principles of good governance, including transparency, accountability, and community engagement. The analysis scrutinizes various aspects of policy development, stakeholder participation, funding mechanisms, technological innovations, and the overall efficacy of these measures in mitigating land subsidence. Through a comparative lens, the research seeks to unearth effective strategies and successful policy implementations in both nations. The methodology employed adopts a normative approach, scrutinizing concepts, norms, principles, legal frameworks, and ethical considerations associated with land subsidence policies within the context of good governance. This research contributes to a holistic comprehension of land subsidence management, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of policies aimed at addressing this critical environmental challenge.

Community engagement through Library and Information Science teaching- learning activities at Islamic higher education in Indonesia

Introduction. Community engagement is one of the ways to connect between academic environment and community. This research aims to explore community engagement as part of the course in the Library Science Study Program to match with the seven main principles of community engagement. 
 Research Method. This is qualitative research with a case study approach on how community engagement concept is implemented in the learning and teaching activities at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta and UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang.
 Data analysis. The data was analyzed by using cross-case data analysis.
 Results and Discussion. The results show that the two LIS Programs have conducted community engagement effectively in their learning and teaching by referring to the main seven principles of community engagement.
 Conclusion. In terms of the community engagement, UIN Malang has more intensive relationships with the community because their activities involve wider community around the area. While in terms of the sustainability, UIN Yogyakarta shows a better-organized program as they assign the students to create strategic plans and SOPs by encouraging the community library organizers to continue what has been conducted by the students during the program. This community engagement program also in line with community service missions of the university.

Facilitators and barriers to engaging communities in health service research on dengue control in Indo-Pacific region: a systematic review

BackgroundDengue is a public health problem in the Indo-Pacific countries. There are concerns over the facilitators and barriers to community engagement in health service research aimed at dengue control. The objective of his study was to identify and synthesize facilitators and barriers to community engagement in health service research aimed at dengue control.MethodologyThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) checklist was used to perform this review. Health-related databases including PubMed, Ovid, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies. A consolidated framework with five domains was developed after undertaking a six-phase reflective thematic assessment of the data.ResultsThirteen studies were identified, spanning eight low-and middle-income countries of the Indo-Pacific region including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. The studies in this review covered the period from 2002 to 2021. A broad range of study designs and objectives were revealed across these 13 studies. An array of communities such as the local government, project-related health staff, local health services staff, community leaders, local communities/residences/general public, heads of households, community health volunteers, school teachers, and schoolchildren participated in these dengue related studies. The five Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) domains of ‘intervention characteristics’, ‘inner setting’, ‘outer setting’,’ individual characteristics’, and ‘program implementations’ were used to identify and describe barriers and facilitators.ConclusionsThe findings indicate a range of barriers and facilitators to community engagement in dengue control in the selected LMIC in the Indo-Pacific countries. Future health services research on dengue control approaches should be carefully planned, methodologically constructed, aligned with community engagement principles, and involve considerable community participation at all stages of the research.

A Resilience Program for Hospital Security Officers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Community Engagement Model.

Security officers in health systems are subject to high levels of stress and current support interventions do not necessarily target their needs. To address this gap, a resilience center at a major urban tertiary care hospital utilized community engagement principles to adapt and implement resilience and mental health awareness workshops, which were informed by initial piloting. The program consisted of twelve short briefings in which officers were provided psychoeducation on psychological first aid and adaptive coping. The program reached 107 security officers (89.5% men, 95.2% people of color); both qualitative and quantitative feedback indicated a generally positive reception. Further efforts to support security officers are warranted given their high exposure to patient crises and under-acknowledgement as frontline workers in healthcare.

Engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse communities during a COVID-19 outbreak: a NSW Health interagency public health campaign.

To report on efforts to engage culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to provide an effective and appropriate public health response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to report how a tailored, interagency response addressing specific community needs was rapidly rolled out in a pandemic setting. Type of program or service: A novel, rapid, interagency public health campaign led by NSW Health and Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) was established in response to a local outbreak of COVID-19 in the multicultural suburb of Lakemba, in Sydney's south west, in October 2020. The public education and testing campaign was run over 2 weeks and involved in-language development of COVID-19 resources, establishment of a local pop-up testing clinic, 'COVID Safe' inspections of local businesses, engagement with local community leaders and distribution of written and verbal in-language education by cultural support workers. We describe the campaign impact in engaging CALD communities in a pandemic setting, including the impact on COVID-19 testing rates, identification of close contacts and engagement with local businesses, as well as learnings from a multi-agency debrief at the conclusion of the campaign. There was an 87% increase in COVID-19 testing in the local area during the campaign. Despite 890 close contacts being identified during the outbreak, only 17 cases of COVID-19 were identified. Regulators visited 127 local businesses to provide 'COVID Safe' education and advice. SLHD cultural support personnel worked with the community to provide verbal and written in-language resources and education. Community and religious leaders were engaged to act as 'COVID Safe' champions. A key to the success of the Lakemba campaign was the rapid, multi-agency collaboration between NSW Health, SLHD and regulators. An important lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic has been the importance of providing a flexible, tailored public health response that reacts to the target community's needs. This is even more important in our CALD communities, where mainstream health messages are insufficient. The Lakemba campaign is an example of how such a response can be undertaken rapidly while maintaining the key principles of community partnership, engagement and equity.

Including Community Partners in the Development and Adaptation of Intervention Strategies to Prevent Initiation or Escalation of Opioid Misuse.

Current literature lacks clear examples of how to engage with communities in the development of opioid misuse interventions for diverse populations and across various settings. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative (HEAL) Prevention Cooperative (HPC) research projects work collaboratively with communities to develop and adapt their opioid misuse interventions to increase both feasibility and sustainability. Ten HPC projects were selected to receive NIH funding and are required to have partnerships with communities where their intervention is being conducted. This paper applies the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-adapted Public Participation Framework to examine the levels of community engagement used by each of these 10 HPC projects (Clinical and Translational Science Awards Consortium Community Engagement Key Function Committee Task Force on the Principles of Community Engagement, 2015). Using this framework, this paper illustrates the range of community engagement approaches and levels that the HPC projects rely on to develop, adapt, and adopt opioid prevention interventions across diverse populations and settings. This paper also lays a foundation for future examinations of the role of community engagement in intervention implementation and effectiveness and the level of community engagement that is necessary to improve intervention effectiveness.

A community engagement training program for basic and translational cancer researchers.

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of patient engagement in cancer research, but many basic and translational researchers have never been trained to do so. To address this unmet need, a 1-year patient engagement training program for researchers was developed. Eleven researchers and eleven paired research advocates participated. This program, designed for virtual delivery, included 3 didactic modules focused on (1) Community Outreach and Engagement principles and methods, (2) Communication skills, and (3) Team Science. This was followed by longitudinal projects to be completed by the researcher/advocate pairs, including learning about the research project, and co-authoring abstracts, manuscripts and grant proposals. Monthly group meetings allowed pairs to share their experiences. The program culminated in the pairs creating and presenting oral abstracts for the University of KansasCancer Center's Annual ResearchSymposium. All participants indicated that the modules had a positive impact on their ability to collaborate in research. Both researcher self-evaluations and patient advocate evaluations of their researcher partner showed an improvement in researcher communication competency. Results from the Patient Engagement in Research Scale showed that advocates were highly engaged. Within 1year after program completion, participating pairs have completed four abstracts and 9 grant proposals. The program will be modified based on participant feedback, and can be adapted for future cohorts if an increased number of sessions per month and shortened program duration are desired. The program's virtual format allows scalability across institutions to potentially benefit large cohorts of researchers.

Delivery of tobacco control programs by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations in New South Wales, Australia: A cross-sectional survey.

To describe the characteristics of tobacco control programs (TCPs) delivered by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A key informant from each ACCHS in NSW completed a 30-item online survey. For each TCP, ACCHSs were asked to provide: the target population group, program aims and activities, funding source, and whether the program had been monitored or evaluated and reflected principles of community control and engagement. Twenty-five of 38 eligible ACCHSs completed the survey (66% response rate). Overall, 64% of services reported currently delivering at least one TCP, almost all of which aimed to promote quitting (95%). Programs involved brief intervention for tobacco cessation (71%), referral to quit services (67%), or use of printed resources (67%). Funding sources included Local Health Districts (52% of programs), the Commonwealth Government (48%) and NSW Ministry of Health (43%). Most programs were aimed at all Aboriginal people who smoke (76%); 19% targeted women or families during pregnancy/birth. Many TCPs used culturally tailored resources (86%) and employed Aboriginal staff (86%), and 48% had been evaluated. A third of participating ACCHS did not have a specific TCP to address smoking among Aboriginal people, and delivery of programs was characterised by an uncoordinated approach across the state. Aboriginal staff and culturally tailored messages were a focus of existing TCP programs. SO WHAT?: Findings highlight the need for more investment in TCPs for Aboriginal people to ensure all ACCHSs can deliver evidence-based programs.

Co-designing an Integrated Health and Social Care Hub With and for Families Experiencing Adversity.

Integrated care research often fails to adequately describe co-design methods. This article outlines the process, principles and tools to co-design an integrated health and social care Hub for families experiencing adversity. The Child and Family Hub was co-designed in four stages: (1) partnership building and stakeholder engagement, (2) formative research, (3) persona development and (4) co-design workshops and consultations. Local families, community members and intersectoral practitioners were engaged at each stage. The co-design workshops employed a human-centred design process and were evaluated using the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PEET). 121 family participants and 80 practitioners were engaged in the Hub's co-design. The PEET highlighted the co-design team's satisfaction achieved by community members working alongside practitioners to generate mutual learning. Resourcing was a key challenge. Human-centred design offered a systematic process and tools for integrating formative evidence with lived and professional experience in the Hub's co-design. Applying community engagement principles meant that a diverse range of stakeholders were engaged across all stages of the project which built trust in and local ownership of the Hub model. Co-design research with families experiencing adversity should attend to language, engagement methods, team composition and resourcing decisions.

Abstract PL03-05: Early Engagement Equals Early Detection

Abstract PL03-05: Early Engagement Equals Early Detection

231 Training Medical Interns and Graduate and Professional Students on Community Engaged Research: Lessons Learned from Implementing a Community Scholars Program

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: 1. Describe the development and implementation of a Community Scholars Program to train graduate and professional students on principles of community engagement and its application to their research. 2. Evaluate lessons learned and overall impact implementing a Community Scholars Program. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: After identifying a need to train scholars on the principles of community engagement, the Community Engagement Research Core’s (CERC) Community Advisory Council (CAC) developed the Community Scholars Program (CSP) in 2014. The CSP was designed to educate scholars on community engaged research and how it can be applied to their research projects. The program is currently in its ninth cohort with 19 graduate and professional students having participated in the program to date. Prospective scholars identify a community partner and faculty mentor and apply to conduct a community engaged research project over the course of an academic year. The purpose of this project is to describe the development and implementation of a CSP and identify lessons learned throughout the process. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Five lessons learned have been identified: five major lessons learned from implementing the CSP: (1) establish partnership agreements between the scholars and their community partners and faculty mentors, setting expectations to avoid conflict and increase mutual understanding; (2) expand and implement more creative outreach approaches to cultivate a more diverse pool of applicants; (3) increase networking between current and past scholars to share experiences and serve as a resource for each other; (4) provide formal CE training for scholars to develop a better understanding of the principles of CE and CE research; and (5) document progress of the program through formal feedback and evaluations. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The CSP was constructed to fill a gap in CE research training for graduate and professional scholars. Over the course of the program, the identified lessons learned have created program clarity and increased accountability for scholars, mentors, and community partners alike.

Community engagement in health services research on soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Asia Pacific region: Systematic review.

The research question was what studies are available that have assessed community engagement in the health services research on soil-transmitted helminths? We aimed to synthesise evidence on how communities were engaged in health services research on soil-transmitted helminths in low-and-middle-income countries of the Asia-Pacific Region. We focused on this region because soil-transmitted helminths are endemic, and their burden is significant in this region. This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) checklist. Relevant studies were searched in health-related databases including PubMed, Ovid, and Google Scholar. We selected studies based on the selection criteria set for this review. We collected textual information about the type of health services research, the degree of community engagement, the research phases involved, and the barriers/enablers affecting community engagement in research since they are pertinent to our review question and objective. Ten studies from seven countries in the Asia Pacific region were identified for this review. Albeit with variation in the extent of their involvement, various forms of communities/groups within communities were included such as Aboriginal communities, local communities, school children and their parents, school teachers and headmasters of schools, heads of villages, religious leaders, and so on. Overall, community engagement in health services research focused on of soil-transmitted helminths was limited. Six studies (60%) had collaboration at 'developing methodology', mainly through an explanation of the objectives of the study or study process to be conducted. Seven studies (70%) revealed community participation in soil-transmitted helminths at the "data collection" stage. Only one study (10%) documented that a community leader was involved as a co-author, reflecting an involvement in 'report writing' and further 'dissemination'. Findings suggest that there were various forms of community engagement in various aspects of the health services research context. Overall, there was moderate level of participation, but there was insufficient information on the partnership between various stakeholders, which prevented in-depth analysis of the engagement. Future health services research on soil-transmitted helminth interventions needs to be carefully planned, well designed, grounded in principles of community engagement, and designed methodologically to allow in-depth participation by communities in all stages of the research.