Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager, Institute for Public Health
What do members of our community think about the way faculty and researchers engage with research participants and partners? How can the researchers forge genuine partnerships throughout the community and the region that can help create greater trust and ultimately, equity? Beginning October 4, the Center for Community Health Partnership and Research presents a three-part Collaborative Café series on equitable community-academic partnerships, but this time, there’s a twist.
Da Hood Talks Entertainment, which produces a “podcast for the voiceless that empowers everyday people in St. Louis”, is taking over the center’s fall Collaborative Cafe program for a three-part series called “Beyond good intentions: Bridging the gap between Black communities and research communities.” The idea behind the series is that faculty and researchers need to sit back, listen, and self-reflect on community experiences and perceptions with research in order to ethically engage with the community.
The first two candid conversation sessions invite researchers, research staff, students, and others across the university who want to improve engagement, recruitment and retention of Black community members in clinical and translational research. Researchers will be asked to listen and hear from community members about the negative interactions with researchers that are leading to community harm and mistrust in research. These occurrences may have included minimizing community expertise and/or decentered research aims.
I understand the profound impact that research can have on the lives of my community when done ethically and effectively. For example, when done right, research can lead to improved healthcare outcomes for Black communities by addressing disparities and promoting better access
Shavanna Spratt, host of Da Hood Talks & series moderator
to quality care.
The third Collaborative Café event invites researchers to ask questions about ethical and effective community engagement in research, share challenges in putting community relationship-building principles into action, and to collaborate around solutions. Attendees should be prepared to examine their own role in the distrust created by these systems and identify ways to move beyond good intentions to build better relationships.
Attendees will:
- Hear Black individuals’ candid stories about participating in research
- Understand researcher roles in perpetuating negativity and distrust in academic institutions and in research
- Learn critical community engagement messages that can be immediately applied to their own research projects
Learn more about each event and register!
By fostering community-academic partnerships, communication and research in the region, the Center for Community Health Partnership and Research works to reduce disparities and improve health and wellness. To learn more about collaborating with the center, visit the Partnerships & Collaborations webpage.