We propose to conduct and evaluate a three part intervention designed to: 1) engage and inform the public about clinical research; 2) engage clinical researchers in community-based research; and 3) help research partners increase the policy relevance of their work. The overall goal of the intervention is to prepare community organizations and clinical researchers to form research partnerships. This proposal is a collaboration between the Prevention Research Center of Michigan (PRC/MI) and its community partners, UM-SPH Office of Community-Based Public Health, the Michigan Initiative for Clinical Health Research, at the UM Medical School. The lead community organization is the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle Housing Development Corporation's YOUR Center. The interventions will consist of three modules: 1) The Community Outreach Module, developed and delivered by our community partners will be designed for community-based organizations (CBOs) to raise awareness and understanding of clinical research and how it is conducted, including IRB issues; 2) The Researcher Engagement Module will be developed jointly by community and academic partners for clinical researchers associated with UM-SPH and UM Medical School. This module will include an introduction to the community context and a series of sessions conducted by community representatives about important issues relevant to engaging the community in clinical research, including relevant health disparities.; 3) The Clinical Research Policy Module will be developed by UM researchers and governmental affairs staff and community partners with experience in translating research into policy including joint visits to state and local policy members to communicate research findings. We use a pre-post comparison group design to evaluate the modules. Measures will include knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding collaborative research between community and research partners. We will also conduct a process evaluation for further developing the intervention. ? ? ?
