NC TraCS Community Engagement Core

and the

UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

______________________________________________________________________

 Community Leadership and Reciprocal Development: 

Advancing Community-Engaged Research at Two CTSA Institutions

Community Research Fellow

Position Description

 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.

Responsibilities of the Community Research Fellow include:

• Development of a process to recruit and train a pool of community experts who can be called on for facilitating community engagement skill building through "guidance sessions," also known as CBPR Charrettes, and training modules
• Assisting with the design, planning and facilitation of tailored CBPR Charrettes (6 per year) for investigators interested in community engaged research
• Assisting with the development and implementation of training modules for academic and community partners (4 workshops per year)
• Planning and maintaining communication strategies to facilitate partnership and exchange with Vanderbilt program
• Scheduling reciprocal site visits in coordination with Vanderbilt Community Navigator
• Assisting with developing plan to disseminate findings and share methods with other partners interested in community engagement

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

The Community Research Fellow should have a minimum of two years experience in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and a bachelor's degree. Candidates who do not have a bachelor's degree would be expected to have equivalent additional experience in CBPR. The following knowledge, skills and abilities are also essential for this position.

• Familiarity with public health research (especially as relates to social determinants of health and health disparities)
• Demonstrated experience as an effective team member working with both academic and community partners on a CBPR project
• Ability to transfer skills to both community and faculty
• Experience designing, leading and facilitating meetings and/or workshops
• Proven ability to work independently and be detail-oriented  
• Outstanding administrative skills, including organizational planning and development
• Excellent communication skills (written, verbal and interpersonal)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and email software required. Proficiency with other software applications (e.g., Excel, Access, PowerPoint) will be considered a plus.
• Ability to balance multiple tasks and work well under pressure

 Approximate Salary Range:

This is a half-time State position. The salary range for .5 FTE is $20,000-$25,000 and will be based on the candidate's experience. Because it is a half-time position, it is not eligible for health or retirement benefits.

Applications:

Interested candidates should provide a resume, cover letter detailing experience in CBPR and required skills, and the names and contact information of three references, including at least one academic and one community partner.  Applications may be sent through email or the US Postal Service.

Questions?  Contact:

Alexandra Lightfoot
Assistant Director for Community-Based Participatory Research

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please submit applications by November 13 to:

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Vondra H. Jones, Human Resources Manager
NC TraCS Institute
UNC- Chapel Hill
Campus Box 7064
Chapel Hill, NC  27599-7064

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

POSTDOC OPPORTUNITY: BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES HIV RESEARCH

 Do you think that research is an important part of the solution to the HIV/AIDS epidemic?

Do you have a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., etc.), or are you about to complete one?

Do you want to receive further training to become an independent researcher?

 If so (or if you know anyone to whom this might apply),you can learn more about the NIMH-funded program focused on HIV, gender, and human sexuality at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies (Columbia University, New York) by visiting http://www.hivcenternyc.org/training/nrsa.html.

Positions for our three-year training program will be available as of July 2010. Trainees receive up to three years of support for stipends, health insurance, travel for conferences, and research.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Persons from underrepresented groups (including those with disabilities and disadvantaged background) are strongly encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is January 2, 2010.

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 The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship

UNC Application Information:

UNC graduate students who are U. S. citizens are eligible for this funding opportunity. Doctoral students from Carolina have been quite successful with this award in the past. This award is highly competitive and UNC can submit only 3 candidates, but we typically do have one or more of them win the fellowship each year.

The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship provides tuition, fees, and an $18,000 stipend. The fellowship is renewable for three years of support. The selection is based upon 1) outstanding undergraduate and graduate records, and 2) a demonstrated need for financial assistance. Students must be US Citizens and their research must be taking place within the US.

In order for the faculty Fellowship Committee of The Graduate School to select our three UNC Chapel Hill candidates to forward for this competition, pre-selection applications must be received by the Graduate School, no later than noon, December 8. Interested students should submit one original and six collated copies of the following items by the deadline:

1) Completed Application for Pre-selection**

2) Statement of purpose up to three pages long (double spaced) which considers the relationship between your graduate level study and your intended personal and/or professional goals

3) A 10-15 line abstract at the top of your Statement of Purpose (included in the three pages) that explains (in layman's terms) your degree program, the research required to complete your studies and how you plan to contribute to the field once you have earned your degree

4) Letter of Recommendation from your Department Chair

5) Letters of Recommendation from at least two professors who have taught or worked closely with you

6) Personal vitae or resume

7) Copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts**

8) Applicant's GRE Scores**

9) Brief statement of financial need summarizing debts, loans, and financial aid (no more than 250 words)**

**Please note: unofficial copies may be used for the internal (pre-selection) competition. While official copies are not needed for the internal review, official application, transcripts, and GRE scores will be necessary to send with the final application. See pre-selection application for details. All applicants should be prepared to submit all official copies by January 15.

After the Fellowship Committee reviews and selects the top 3 applicants by January 8, The Graduate School will work with these 3 students to complete the final application package with all official documents and we will Fed-Ex the final applications to Chase Manhattan Bank before January 22.

 We are looking forward to Carolina graduate students winning these fellowships!

Questions?

Contact Amy Yonai at 843-8392 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Liebmann website: http://foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/liebmann/

The Pre-selection application should be submitted to:

Amy Yonai, Fellowship Coordinator

200 Bynum Hall, CB#4010

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Please consider submitting an abstract for presentation during the NC TraCS Symposium:  Translational Research to Address Health Disparities Across the Lifespan on March 19, 2010 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Additional information on the Symposium is available at www.tracs.unc.edu/symposium.

Electronically submitted abstracts will be accepted until 5:00pm (EST) on November 2, 2009 via the following link:  Abstract Submission (http://tracs.unc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=534&Itemid=439). Presenters will be notified of accepted abstracts on December 15, 2009.

If you have any questions about the abstract submission or review process, please contact the NC TraCS Institute Community Engagement Core.

We hope that you will submit an abstract and attend the Symposium!

Thank you for your time,
NC TraCS Community Engagement Core
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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The Center for the Study of the American South invites you to attend the Nov. 3^rd Hutchins Lecture by Dr. Theda Perdue.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Royall Room, George Watts Hill Alumni Center, 4:00 p.m.

Theda Perdue

Atlanta Distinguished Professor of Southern Culture, UNC Chapel Hill

"Native Americans, African Americans, and Jim Crow"

In this lecture, Perdue focuses on the ways in which white racism has divided Indians and African Americans. Race relations in the South developed in the context of a colonial economic system that rested on Indian land and African labor. The dispossession and expulsion of most Native peoples by 1850 meant that the Indians who remained became a small minority scattered across the region. They struggled to retain their ethnic identity, especially in the Jim Crow era when whites sought to preserve their own racial purity by categorizing both Indians and African Americans as "colored." Native communities often set up their own churches and schools, which they closed to African Americans and defended against integration. The result was the marginalization of Indian people at the time and the subsequent exclusion of Indians from histories of the period.

This lecture is free and open to the public.  Light refreshments.

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PRIM&R 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference-November 14-16 in Nashville, TN-The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

There is a Pre-Conference event entitled "What Does it Mean to Represent the Community? A Primer on Community Participation in Research," and it will be held on Friday, November 13. This special program, lead by a first class panel of faculty members, will cover the issues that present the greatest challenges to community members of IRBs and representatives of Community Research Advisory Boards (CRABs).

PRIM&R has set aside funds to provide full or partial fee waivers for those of you who are community members or members of CRABs, and ask that you call (617.423.4112 ext. 0) or e-mail the Executive Director, Joan Rachlin ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to learn about this scholarship program. PRIM&R is eager to make this program as accessible as possible to those who meet the above-cited criteria and, although we cannot provide assistance with travel or lodging, hope that a full or partial fee waiver will make it possible for some of you to join us.

Please note that those who are able to attend this pre-conference course will also be asked to participate in an exciting focus group immediately following the conclusion of the pre-conference. The focus group will seek to solicit ideas and strategies for increasing minority participation in biomedical and public health research.

Learn more about this program and the rest of the PRIM&R Conference by visiting the website <http://www.primr.org/Conferences.aspx?id=5917> or contacting their office directly (617-423-4112).

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The Carolina Community Network and The NC TraCS Community Engagement Core are proudly co-sponsoring a series of *FREE* workshops on research topics. The next workshop in the series is Participatory Approaches to Research.

The *Participatory Approaches to Research Workshop will provide an overview of research approaches that involve communities as research partners, such as community-based participatory research. This training will introduce specific data gathering methods utilized in participatory research (i.e. focus groups) and discuss strategies for data collection, analysis, and dissemination that involves all research partners.
The Participatory Approaches to Research Workshop will be held on the following dates, and in the following locations:

December 2, 2009 10:00-2:00pm in Burlington, at the May Memorial Library
December 3, 2009 11:00-3:00pm in Rocky Mount, at the Braswell Memorial Library
December 4, 2009 10:00-2:00pm in Raleigh, at the ACC Andrews Conference Center

Please click on the link below to learn more about the workshops and to register:

http://tracs.unc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=235&Itemid=295

These workshops are open to all audiences and provide foundational information to facilitate research, foster partnerships, and build skills. Should you have any difficulty accessing this site, or have any questions, please send any inquiries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Pfizer announces Fellowships in Public Health
Pfizer Inc. sponsors the Pfizer Fellowships in Public Health. These awards are meant to support the career development of junior faculty in public health. These educational grants are nationally competitive and chosen by an independent Academic Advisory Board of recognized leaders in public health.

The deadline for applications is Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010.

For more information, view the Call for Applications online.

Barbara Wallace, associate director of development for corporations and foundations for the Office of External Affairs, can assist researchers from the School in working with foundations. Individuals interested in submitting proposals should contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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NEW COURSE (SPRING) NEW COURSE (SPRING) NEW COURSE (SPRING)

Cancer care quality depends on providers, patients, and families having the right information at the right time-and then using that information to make informed cancer care decisions. This course will equip participants with knowledge about (a) the determinants of informed decision-making in cancer care, and (b) the potential and the limitations of the tools that are currently available for improving the quality of decision-making. 

Although the course focuses on cancer, students will find the knowledge and skills in informed decision making and information systems that they gain in the course applicable in to other health and information domains.

The course is designed for doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and advanced master's students. 

For further information contact the instructor Professor Joanne Marshall at the School of Information and Library Science at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 This course introduces the concepts, theories, and methods of disseminating and implementing evidence-based interventions to improve quality in cancer care. The course also examines the methods for conducting rigorous research on dissemination and implementation.

Students will learn how to:  (1) adapt evidence-based interventions for new settings and target populations; (2) select dissemination and implementation strategies based on determinants of the problem, contextual factors, and scientific evidence; and (3) design dissemination and implementation research proposals that meet NIH review criteria.

This course uses a team-based learning approach that emphasizes learning-by-doing rather than learning-by-reading-and-listening. Although the course focuses on cancer, students will find the knowledge and skills they gain applicable to other health issues.

The course is designed for doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and advanced master's students.  Enrollment is limited to 18.

For more information, please contact Professor Bryan Weiner at the Department of Health Policy and Management at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Thank you to all of those who came to the CBPR seminar on October 28^th! We hope that you enjoyed it and will join us again for our next seminar on November 23, 2009, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Topic:  HOPE Works and related projects seeking to reduce obesity and improve physical activity in women through support groups focused on social determinants of health

Presenters: Salli Benedict, Marci Campbell, Katie Barnes and Rachel Page

Location: 1700 MLK Jr Blvd, Room 236 All University parking passes are honored at this location. Email Renee Rendahl at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (966-6033) if you need a parking pass.  For more information about the CBPR Seminar Series, please contact Sonya Sutton, Communications Specialist at HPDP (919 966-4118) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

RSVP is not required, but appreciated at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=156562558665&index=1

The seminars focus on encouraging students at all levels to become involved in projects that use Community-Based Participatory Research. Students, faculty and community members are invited to each seminar. All seminars are the fourth Monday of each month from 3:30 - 5:00.

The CBPR seminar series is sponsored by UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Carolina Center for Public Service, and the UNC Kellogg Health Scholars.