Community

One of the goals of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) is to translate research into policies and practices that favorably impact the health of local communities and the nation. To help achieve that goal GHUCCTS Community Engagement (CE) works to build partnerships between universities and the local community. Community partnerships are vital to our mission of conducting research to improve the public’s health and reduce health disparities.

CE seeks to enhance diversity in research. By actively engaging communities as partners in research, CE helps to assure that individuals who take part in research represent the social, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the DC metropolitan area. Our investigators come from many different cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. The diversity among our investigators brings a unique strength to GHUCCTS research.

The goal of CE is to develop a program that supports community engaged research (CEnR). CE seeks to learn about the most important health concerns within local communities. Open dialogues with community members help to identify the interests and needs of residents in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Tapping into the knowledge and expertise that exist within communities increases researchers’ understanding of local health issues. Our community partnerships provide a different perspective on health priorities. 

CE actively seeks opportunities to share the outcomes of GHUCCTS research and to keep communities informed about ongoing research activities.