The goal of the Community Engagement and Outreach (CEO) Core is to provide expert guidance in community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches and regional support to navigate the development of respectful research partnerships with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI-AN) people in Montana and Alaska. Significant health disparities exist in AI-AN communities, and community-based partnerships that engage community members in all phases of clinical and translational research enhance research efficacy. CBPR builds trust in researchers, boosts recruitment and retention in clinical research, results in efficacious approaches to advance community health, and fosters translation of new knowledge into clinical practice that leads to sustainable health improvements. The American Indian-Alaska Native Clinical and Translational Research Center (AI-AN CTRC) CEO Core is led by a multidisciplinary team of investigators with extensive CBPR proficiency. The Core will leverage their knowledge to operationalize CBPR principles into respectful community-engaged research practice by mentoring and supporting early-stage and established investigators as they cultivate clinical and translational research partnerships with AI-AN people in both rural and urban areas of Montana and Alaska.
In Specific Aim 1, the CEO Core leadership team will develop an innovative case study curriculum of AI-AN CBPR experiences to facilitate education, training, and mentoring of investigators new to community- engaged research. Case studies present a challenge or dilemma in a realistic context and are widely used in educational settings to help students bridge the gap between ?book learning? and practice. Case studies based upon the CEO leadership team?s prior experiences will provide background and raise awareness of many of the challenges and rewards of working closely with AI-AN communities.
In Specific Aim 2, the CEO Core leadership team and regional Clinical Research Navigators will support investigators in the development and implementation of culturally appropriate translational research with AI-AN communities. The case studies (Specific Aim 1) will strengthen the one-on-one mentoring interactions (Specific Aim 2) with new investigators unfamiliar with tribal sovereignty, AI-AN cultural norms, community structures, and CBPR principles, thus creating a rich experience-based learning environment.
In Specific Aim 3, the CEO Core will work with the Evaluation Core to assess the progress of the CEO Core in achieving its goals and identify any needed procedural and/or organizational changes to support the Center?s overall goals. Community engagement is critical in AI-AN health research, and the CEO Core is well integrated throughout the AI-AN CTRC. The CEO Core will work with other CTR Cores to develop training programs for new investigators and will be an important source of mentors for the Center.
