The past two decades have seen continued recognition that more innovative and community-engaged approaches to research and interventions are needed to address the social and environmental determinants of population health and more specifically racial and ethnic inequities in health. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is one such approach to community-engaged research. Increased funding support for CBPR is in keeping with the mission statement of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research capacity- building priorities delineated in the NIH Health Disparities Strategic Plan 2009-2013, and select research goals of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). As the need for and opportunities to expand CBPR increase, so does the need to enhance capacity in innovative methods for researchers conducting behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR) to use this approach. Not only is CBPR an innovative approach in and of itself, there are also several specific innovations within the context of a CBPR approach that are particularly relevant to the mission of NIH. These include the integrated use of mixed methods, and innovative research designs that complement randomized controlled designs. There are few opportunities for both early-career and established researchers to engage in a co-learning process facilitated by experienced academic-community faculty teams. Further, there is a need to promote the diversity of the BSSR workforce, including increasing participation of researchers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Thus, over the past four years we have conducted the research education program, Community-Based Participatory Research: Enhancing Capacity to Use Innovative Methodologies in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (the Enhance Program), with the overarching goal to enhance knowledge and skills in the use of innovative methodologies in CBPR, in partnership with the communities involved, to examine and address health inequities. The Enhance Program has been carried out by the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center, a CBPR partnership established in 1995 aimed at enhancing understanding of and addressing factors that contribute to health inequities in the city of Detroit. The two-pronged approach of the Enhance Program has been: 1) to develop, implement, and evaluate an intensive short course in innovative methodologies in CBPR for conducting behavioral and social sciences research; and 2) to enhance and integrate learning from the short course through a series of follow-on educational activities, an applied CBPR project, mentoring, and development of a network of diverse scholars for career development and innovation in BSSR using a CBPR approach to promote health equity. Based on the evaluation results the program has been successful on a number of dimensions. Given that the fifth year of the original proposed program was not funded, the Administrative Supplement will meet the identified need to enhance and extend the evaluation and sustainability of the program, and to disseminate broadly the materials and lessons learned.
To solve complex public health problems, community-based participatory research (CBPR), a collaborative, participatory approach between academic and community partners is particularly effective. CBPR is an innovative approach for researchers conducting behavioral and social sciences research and numerous innovative methods are relevant within this approach. This Administrative Supplement aims to strengthen the capacity of academic and community partners to implement CBPR principles and innovative methodologies in their work, and disseminate findings and lessons learned from such partnerships.
