MICHR Community Engagement Program Community Research
Associate: Essential Component of Community Engaged Research Karen
Calhoun, CRA Carolyn Sampselle, Director
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MICHR OPIS Program Addressing Health Disparities Addressing
health disparities
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Community Engagement Program Aims Promote bidirectional
knowledge flow and co-learning between the public and the
investigator Enhance infrastructure and tools for
academic/community research partnerships based on empowering and
power sharing process Create innovative methods for community
engaged research Provide regional and national leadership that
addresses the unfinished business community engaged research MICHR
Community Outreach Program - engage
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Community Engagement (CE)Program Community- University
Partnerships Coordinating Council CE Program Staff Community
Partners A2/Ypsilanti, Detroit, Flint Faculty Leadership Team
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Community Engagement Program Effort CE Coordinating Council 14
Community Based Organization Representatives 5 UM Health System
Programs and Offices 5 Faculty representing Medicine, Nursing,
& Public Health CE Program Staff Manager Clinical Research
Liaison Clinical Research Associates Three housed in CBOs in
Detroit, Flint, and A2/Ypsilanti CR Nurse housed in the Michigan
Clinical Research Unit MICHR Community Outreach Program -
engage
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MICHR CRAs and CR Nurse MICHR Community Outreach Program -
engage Karen Calhoun Marie Watkins Fran Talsma Lee Bell
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Community Health MICHR Community Engagement Program Current
CRAs in Detroit, Flint, and A2/Ypsilanti CR Nurse is housed in
Michigan CR Unit (MCRU)potential outreach across state The GRIN
network could provide framework for CRA expansion
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Community Research Associates Regionally located to ensure
connection to community relevance Organize and participate in
meetings with community leaders and social service agency
personnel. Offer insight about and solutions for the barriers for
community/researcher partnerships. Provide a direct connection to
the community, and help ensure that the investigators have an
understanding of the community that will be involved with the
research study, and maintains a strong working relationship with
community members/community based organization throughout the
research project. Assist in incorporating community and cultural
perspectives as studies are being written and prior to IRB
approval; and interface with the community via public
presentations, and on-going community activities Build
relationships with community leaders and stakeholders Glean
research ideas Maintain contact information Offer opportunities to
participate in research MICHR Community Engagement Program
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Comparison of CRA role in three focal communities All driven by
community leadership Variances between community based leadership
Agencies CRAs housed within Stakeholder leadership structures
Different skill sets Common community priorities Reduce health
disparities and improve health status of the community Advance best
practices to empower communities and researchers MICHR Community
Engagement Program
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Community Research Associate Role NIH Definition of CRA: Must
be a community representative and serve as primary liaison
facilitating communication and collaboration between AHC and the
local community (RFA-OD-09-010, issued 10/09/2010) MICHR Community
Engagement Program
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MICHR CRA Job Description Qualifications Bachelors degree in
health, social science or related field Proficiency in
community-based research protocols with involvement in Detroit,
Flint, or Ypsilanti communities Interpersonal skills and
demonstrated ability to work in teams Responsibilities Engage in
one on one meetings with community groups & leaders to decrease
barriers that separate the scientific community from the public
Provide direct connection with the community Work with CR liaison
to ensure that investigators address key community issues MICHR
Community Engagement Program
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MICHR Community Outreach Program - engage
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CRA Leadership RWJ Background Experience in City Connect
Detroit Research, Ethics and Integrity Program (REIP) Advisory
Council Community Engaged Stakeholder Council Associated teaching
in Association for Prevention, Training, & Research (APTR)
workshop MICHR Community Outreach Program - engage
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Social Marketing and Technical Assistance MICHR Community
Outreach Program - engage
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Special Projects St. John Health System School Based Health
Clinics Longitudinal Study Pioneering Health Communities (YMCA)
Community forums (blood spots) Neighborhood-based urban gardening
and CBO capacity building (John R Community N) Ethical protections
in Community Engaged Research IRB module MICHR Community Outreach
Program - engage
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Advance Work to Facilitate Grant Application St. John (SBHC)
Longitudinal Survey John R. Community n Asset Survey MICHR
Community Outreach Program - engage
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Major initiatives Create growth opportunities for all partners
(e.g. training experiences, career opportunities) Working with
partners and Health Disparities program to integrate CE and HD
coursework into overall MICHR Ed Program curriculum In
collaboration with Prevention Research Center faculty/community to
develop 3 modules that cover community research best practices, as
well as developing policy from research. (NIH funded) Develop
Health Research Forums in partnership with the Ann Arbor District
Library to increase health research literacy. (NIH funded)
Developed the first Research into Policy workshop with our
community partners. Developed IRB training for
community/researchers who want to partner with communities in
research, entitled: Ethical Protections in Community-Engaged
Research
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Partners in Research NIH R03 Grants Engaging the Community in
Clinical Research: Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Dorene Markel, UM/Ann Arbor
District Library Flint CRA active recruitment of Flint participants
Medical Marvels Interactive Translational Research: Detroit Mike
Fetterers, UM/Detroit Science Center Partners in Research:
Engagement for Action Marc Zimmerman, UM/YOUR Center, Flint Flint
CRA led windshield tours of Flint MICHR Community Outreach Program
- engage
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Community Education Meeting on Obesity Offered through the PIR
grant to Ann Arbor District Library Guest was graduate of Biggest
Loser program Attended by residents of Detroit, Flint, as well as
A2/Ypsilanti MICHR Community Engagement Program
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MICHR Community Outreach Program - engage
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Challenges CRAs face Building community trust Research is labor
intensive, time consuming Recruiting faculty and CBOs
Opportunitiesissue/funder/relationship driven Need for greater
proportion of CRA effort Sustainability and Dissemination MICHR
Community Engagement Program
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CRA Impact on Project Development: Commitment to Stakeholder
Input Attentive to scheduling planning calls/face to face meetings
Providing summaries of discuss Inviting and incorporating
participant edits Honoring established relationships MICHR
Community Outreach Program - engage
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Importance of CRA Relationships Building community trust City
Connects cross sector collaboration Community participatory model
in all efforts Data Driven Detroit effort Converting initial
distrust of academia into willingness to consider partnership
Developing community/university partnerships Detroit Public Schools
and St. John Hospital Systems MDCH funded Community Conversations
MICHR Community Outreach Program - engage
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New directions via RC4 Infrastructure funding: Enhance capacity
of our community partners to engage in, contribute to, and direct
community-based research activities in a more empowered and
independent fashion Accelerate the development and productivity of
academic/community collaborations reducing time required to
initiate and complete community based research Utilize CBPR
principles to develop and refine stages of the research process for
engaging partners and ultimately for widespread outcome
dissemination MICHR Community Engagement Program
Slide 27
New directions via RC4 Infrastructure funding: Enhance capacity
of our community partners to engage in, contribute to, and direct
community-based research activities in a more empowered and
independent fashion Accelerate the development and productivity of
academic/community collaborations reducing time required to
initiate and complete community based research Utilize CBPR
principles to develop and refine stages of the research process for
engaging partners and ultimately for widespread outcome
dissemination MICHR Community Engagement Program
Slide 28
Planned whether or not RC4 is funded Regional replication of
MICHR CE best practices Joint training module development to
facilitate co-learning Database/networking portal of community
member research expertise, CBO health/research knowledge, and
researchers interested in community engaged research Implement IRB
certification for community partners and researchers Evaluate and
synthesize best practices for dissemination MICHR Community
Outreach Program - engage
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Questions? Karen Calhoun, CRA Michigan Institute for Clinical
and Health Research Community Engagement Program 313-632-9932
[email protected] Carolyn Sampselle, Director Michigan
Institute for Clinical & Health Research Community Engagement
Program 734-846-8239 [email protected]