Can communities and academia work together on public health research? Evaluation results from a community-based participatory research partnership in Detroit

This article reports the results of a formative evaluation of the first 4 years of the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center (URC), a community-based participatory research partnership that was founded in 1995 with core funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Se...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of urban health 2001-09, Vol.78 (3), p.495-507
Main Authors: Lantz, P M, Viruell-Fuentes, E, Israel, B A, Softley, D, Guzman, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Community Health Planning - organization & administration
Community Research
Data Collection
Decision Making, Organizational
Detroit, Michigan
Governing Board
Health Promotion - organization & administration
Health Research
Health Services Research - organization & administration
Humans
Interinstitutional Relations
Interorganizational Relations
Michigan
Organizational Culture
Organizational Objectives
Program Evaluation
Public Health
Research Support as Topic - organization & administration
United States
Urban Areas
Urban Health Services - organization & administration
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Summary:This article reports the results of a formative evaluation of the first 4 years of the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center (URC), a community-based participatory research partnership that was founded in 1995 with core funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Several organizations are members of this partnership, including a university, six community-based organizations, a city health department, a health care system, and CDC. The Detroit URC is a strong partnership that has accomplished many of its goals, including the receipt of over $11 million in funding for 12 community-based participatory research projects during its initial 4 years. Detroit URC Board members identified a number of facilitating factors for their growth and achievements, such as (1) developing a sound infrastructure and set of processes for making decisions and working together, (2) building trust among partners, (3) garnering committed and active leadership from community partners, and (4) receiving support from CDC. Board members also identified a number of ongoing challenges, including organizational constraints, time pressures, and balancing community interests in interventions and academic research needs. Overall, the Detroit URC represents a partnership approach to identifying community health concerns and implementing potential solutions.
ISSN:1099-3460
1471-8505
DOI:10.1093/jurban/78.3.495