GHUCCTS

Community Mission

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The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) aims to translate research into policies and practices that favorably impact the health of local communities and the nation. To this end, the GHUCCTS community engagement team works to build partnerships between universities, patients, and the local community. These partnerships are vital to our mission in conducting research to improve the public’s health and reduce health disparities.  We also actively seek opportunities to share the outcomes of GHUCCTS research to keep communities informed about ongoing research activities.

Community Mission

  • To expand and sustain bi-directional partnerships with patients, caregivers, the public, and community-based organizations to facilitate participation in  the development, conduct and dissemination of clinical and translational research.
  • To provide services, training, and resources for research teams to enhance community & patient engagement skills, and to engage community-based practitioners in collaboratively conducting clinical and translational research.
  • To increase research participation by members of the diverse communities that make up the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

 

OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GUIDING PRINCIPLES

    • Transparency, Honesty, and Trust: Communities, other partners, and research team members are committed to open and honest communication with one another. Major decisions are made inclusively and information is shared readily with all research partners.  

    • Humility, Diversity, Inclusion: Research teams are committed to diversity across all project activities. They value the expertise communities and other partners bring to the table. Partners are systematically integrated into all aspect of the work.

    • Co-Learning: Research teams help communities, patients, or other partners understand the research process; and likewise, incorporates these partners into the research process. There needs to be a reciprocal transfer of knowledge and skills among all partners.

    • Mutually Benefit:  Research teams facilitate coordination and cooperation to ensure community and other partners benefits from the collaboration.

    • Autonomy: Communities and patients retain full self-determination in collaborative ventures. Communities determine their own needs.

    • Respect for Time and Effort: Communities should economically benefit from collaboration. Time and contributions of patient and other partners are valued and demonstrated in fair  financial compensation, as well as reasonable and thoughtful requests for time commitment. 

     Adapted from : PCORI Engagement Rubric (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) website. https://www.pcori.org/sites/default/files/Engagement-Rubric.pdf.  Published February 4, 2014. Updated October 12, 2015. Accessed July 29, 2024.


    COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACHIEVEMENTS

     

     

     

    Fighting for Black Lives: Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy

    FIGHTING FOR BLACK LIVES: Black Americans are nearly 4 times
    more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 and 3 times more likely
    to die from it than white people — so Rev. Dr. Matthew Watley is
    fighting vaccine hesitancy in an effort to save Black lives.

     

     

     

     

    Our GHUCCTS community engagement experts have supported numerous research teams on building community-academic partnerships and strategizing for effective engagement. We have also collaborated with multiple community organizations who have contributed to shaping health research.  See how we have worked with the community below.  

    PARTNERSHIPS

    • COVID-19 Novavax Vaccine Trial:
      Howard University served as a site for the Novavax Phase 3 vaccine study evaluating the safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of the Novavax vaccine against COVID-19. GHUCCTS worked closely with the study team to guide process of the community advisory board (CAB) with leaders from the Black and Hispanic communities.  The CAB advised on best approaches to reach communities most affected by COVID-19. They also advised on COVID-19 related topics for community presentation by our health experts (i.e. overcoming vaccine hesitancy, vaccine development). Learn More.

    • Addressing Health Disparities Together: A Networking Session for Building Community-Academic Partnership
      Poster presentations by area community organizations on their work and research interests in asthma, cancer, diabetes, and other health concerns. A networking session followed to stimulate possible community-academic collaborations. Click the links below to view poster presentations from our community partners.        
      Assembly of Petworth | African Women's Cancer Awareness Association | Breathe DC

    • Community Presentations GHUCCTS community engagement team has presented at multiple community led events and conferences on importance of diverse inclusion in clinical trials and community engagement. An example includes participation in the CASEC Cancer Conference as presenter for a panel session on Cancer Research, Treatment, Clinical Trials and Medical Advancements: Diversifying Clinical Trials and Community Engagement.  Researches have also been invited to community events to present on various health topics. See video on GHUCCTS in the Community.

    • Everyday Trauma: How Are We Coping as Individuals in the Workplace and in Our Communities? An expert panel discussion on trauma informed care. This event included experiential self-care activities such as yoga, dance movement therapy, and artistic expression as protective measures for coping with everyday trauma.

    • Community Engagement Mini Grants A funding opportunity to support development of sustainable partnerships between academic researchers and community stakeholders. The mini grant was designed to stimulate long-term collaborations that would promote the translation of clinical and translational of research into effective practice and public policy.

    TRAINING

    • Establishing Rapport at Community Events
      GHUCCTS leads training for research teams on ways to effectively communicate and interact with potential research participants at community events. Engagement requires building trust with community members by giving back, beyond the need to recruit for a study.

    • Community Scholar's Program (CSP)
      A webinar series on community based participatory research for community leaders and researchers. This training program covered basic principles of CBPR, strategies for effective CBPR partnerships, grant writing, and program evaluation

    • Our Community, Our Health: Understanding and Addressing Trauma Across the Lifespan
      A town hall forum that addressed issues of trauma stemming from family disintegration, discrimination, violence, and abuse. This event featured current research and interventions that address trauma within our local communities

    • Community Engagement Symposium 
      A one-day event to promote community-academic partnerships as a useful mechanism for responding to health disparities through Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) and CBPR.
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