@article{642783af9b214bccb1eee2d126300793,
title = "Promoting Authentic Academic—Community Engagement to Advance Health Equity",
abstract = "Meaningful community engagement is critical to achieving the lofty goal of health equity. Nonetheless, implementing the principles of community engagement is not easy. Attempting to implement best practices for collaborating on transdisciplinary teams and working with community partners can be challenging, particularly in locales that have a long history of strained university–community relationships. The purpose of this paper is to provide additional context and consideration for researchers, community partners, and institutions interested in conducting community-engaged research. Here, we provide guidance and highlight exemplary programs that offer effective approaches to enhance the strength of community partnerships. These partnerships not only hold promise but are also essential in the development of the local, multi-factor solutions required to address racial/ethnic inequities in health.",
keywords = "community engagement, health equity, health promotion",
author = "Darrell Hudson and Keon Gilbert and Melody Goodman",
note = "Funding Information: Establishing training and capacity building within academic institutions is helpful in aiding scholars to better and more effectively engage community partners. Community partners should also be involved in training, particularly in the navigation of perceived differences in power [,]. As outlined below, it is critical to train researchers in best practices related to community engagement and to help community partners develop skills that foster their ability to engage in processes and develop solutions to challenges that they want to address. These programs also foster confidence in partners{\textquoteright} ability to bring their perspectives to the table and better manage relationships. There are exemplars of academic–community partnerships as well as funding opportunities that build capacity and foster collaboration. For example, the Community Research Fellows Training (CRFT) program helps to build the capacity of community members to enhance their understanding of research, key factors related to health equity, and to build a base of knowledge related to the development of solutions for health inequities at a local level [,,]. The program has endeavored to develop equitable and mutually beneficial partnerships. This training program included the delivery of content in a 15-weekly, three-hour training format as well as seed funding that community fellows can use to develop their own projects [,]. Over the 10 years since its inception, CRFT has received funding from a variety of sources. In St. Louis, the CRFT program and the work of the project team were sponsored by the Program to Eliminate Cancer Disparities (National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute grant U54CA153460), the Siteman Cancer Center, Staenberg Family Foundation, and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation. In Mississippi, the state department of health, a grant from the state, and institutional support from the University of Southern Mississippi. In New York City, CRFT is funded by New York University School of Global Public Health. Funding Information: DH is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute of Aging [R01AG074302] and [1R01AG061162-01]. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 by the authors.",
year = "2023",
month = feb,
doi = "10.3390/ijerph20042874",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "20",
journal = "International journal of environmental research and public health",
issn = "1661-7827",
publisher = "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)",
number = "4",
}