Benefits of Community Engaged Research

Community engagement in research has enabled ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS to:

• Increase the validity within the study by improving accuracy of measurements
• Conduct research that can be implemented in partnership with the studied communities
• Design meaningful and effective community interventions that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for communities

Community engagement in research has enabled COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS to:

• Ask questions that are meaningful to their community members
• Develop and evaluate effective programs for their clients
• Demonstrate effectiveness of their programs for future funding opportunities
• Increase the legitimacy of their work among funders, policy-makers and other stakeholders

One type of community engaged research is community-based participatory research (CBPR), also known as participatory action research and community-partnered participatory research.

CBPR is an approach to research that is rooted in the principles of equity and fairness and that aims to ensure that all the partners in a research project obtain what they need from the research project.

• FOCUS on public health issues relevant to the community, including those influenced by social and economic drivers
• DISSEMINATE results to all partners and identify stakeholders who can influence chance
  
• BUILD on strengths and expertise within the community
  
• FACILITATE an equitable partnership in all phases of the research that aims to both empower & share power
  
• RECOGNIZE the community as a unity of identity with shared experiences related to race, socioeconomic status, occupation, etc.
  
• FOSTER co-learning and capacity building among all partners
  
• COMMIT to a sustainable, and when possible, long term investment in the partnership
  
• INTEGRATE a balance between knowledge generation and action