I've been wanting to share this news for a long time ...
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) and other participatory and engaged frameworks, approaches, models, and methodologies in research and evaluation often do not get the credit they deserve in higher education. Scholars who use these approaches navigate a tricky situation when trying to account for the time needed to carry out this work with fidelity, validity, rigor, complexity, and consent along with, well, the tenure clock and other demands of working in the academy. These scholars know, however, that community members possess lived expertise that can unlock transformative data that an external researcher and/or evaluator simply cannot reach. Thus, these scholars center dignity and respect for their community co-researchers when using participatory approaches, as they often bridge science and humanity.
As the Research, Evaluation, and Learning department at RWJF deepens its efforts to support knowledge building and production through research and evaluation that centers community expertise, I am happy to share that we have awarded an Ideas for an Equitable Futures grant?to the Community Health Commission of Missouri (CHCM). CHCM's work highlights the importance of community-systems partnerships. The organization's work is interrelated and dependent on a commitment to center community in policy and practice.
Through this investment, CHCM will focus on planning its implementation of a Community Institutional Review Board to give equitable research oversight to communities experiencing health disparities in Missouri. This project will document evidence on how to open pathways for community members, scholars, and practitioners to share power and work more collaboratively during the research review process.
"This work provides an opportunity to build trust and develop partnerships within communities, focusing on identifying and exploring community-driven questions. It also challenges traditional research practices while establishing a replicable, equity-centered, trauma-informed research framework and protocol," shared Riisa Rawlins, MSW, Chief Executive Officer at CHCM.
First, I want to send a very special thanks to my colleague, Sabrina Ton, for her incredible work making this award possible and to the entire Ideas for an Equitable Future team at RWJF for the support. Thank you to Riisa Rawlins, MSW and Velva J Hollimon, MSW, LCSW for your steadfast vision and commitment to this work and all that you do at CHCM. To the people of Missouri, I look forward to the great things you will do through this work and all that you do together to make sure every person in Missouri thrives.
Learn more about Community Health Commission Missouri at https://chcmissouri.org/.
