Program Overview

The NC Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (TraCS) and the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) have received funding to launch a two year pilot project, Community Leadership and Reciprocal Development: Advancing Community-Engaged Research at Two CTSA Institutions, in collaboration with the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR).  The goal of the pilot is to expand and accelerate both CTSAs' capacity to advance community-engaged research, first by drawing on the expertise of existing community partners working with our respective institutions, and, second, by initiating a cross-CTSA partnership to share expertise, develop resources, and disseminate new knowledge and approaches.  Activities conducted will be tailored to be responsive to faculty and community experts at our respective institutions.  The UNC partnership will focus on the development, implementation and evaluation of activities that provide education and guidance in the principles and advantages of community-based participatory research, emphasizing co-learning between communities and academic partners, power sharing, and co-ownership of the products and processes of the research.  

The project, which will begin in October 2009, will involve the following components:

• hiring a Community Research Fellow experienced in community-based participatory research (CBPR) to co-lead community engagement activities
• developing a pool of community experts as paid co-leaders to provide training and technical assistance that advances the adoption and successful implementation of CBPR
• developing, implementing and evaluating models of facilitated guidance sessions for investigators or community partners who express interest in developing  or enhancing community-engaged  research
• developing and implementing  training in community-engaged research topics
• developing communication strategies that promote cycles of exchange between the two programs at UNC and Vanderbilt
• sharing methods and findings with other CTSA institutions

Position Summary:

The Community Research Fellow (CRF) is a half-time position based at the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS). In collaboration with the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP), a CDC-funded Prevention Research Center, the NC TraCS Community Engagement Core engages communities, faculty, and health care providers as partners in clinical and translational research to transform the way that academic investigators and community members work together to improve the health of residents of our state.  HPDP addresses pressing health problems by collaborating with communities to conduct research, provide training, and translate research findings into policy and practice.

The Fellow will work under the guidance of the NC TraCS Community Engagement Core Director and HPDP Director.  S/he will have office space at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and will be expected to work out of this office at least two days a week.  S/he will design and lead CBPR development activities in coordination with HPDP's Assistant Director for Community-Based Participatory Research, who is also a staff member of the Community Engagement Core.  The Fellow will work closely with TraCS Community Engagement Core (CEC) staff members, other UNC faculty and staff, community partners, and faculty and staff involved in the parallel program in development at Vanderbilt.