Community-Engaged Research

The best way to do that is to partner with people and communities served by Ohio State. Community engagement is defined by the CDC as the process of working collaboratively with groups of people who are affiliated by geographic proximity, special interests, or similar situations with respect to issues affecting their well-being.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a form of community-engaged research, involving a collaborative approach for participation, shared decision-making, and mutual ownership in all aspects of the research process by communities affected by the issue being studied, researchers, and organizational representatives (developed from AHRQ Publication No. 04–E022-2: Community-Based Participatory Research: Assessing the Evidence, July 2004).

IRB members and/or consultants with CBPR expertise are asked to review community-based participatory research projects at Ohio State. The following resources can provide researchers and IRB members with information to develop, implement, and support CBPR. The Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP) is also available to assist with education, project-specific questions, and submission requirements related to CBPR, such as the following:

• Regulatory considerations related to researcher engagement, performance sites, and involvement of vulnerable populations
• Training requirements
• Institutional and/or investigator agreements
• Use of community advisory boards
• Involvement of participant advocates
• Establishing partnerships with community-based organizations