Community-based Participatory Research

Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) is defined as a true partnership of equals between academia and a community. In CBPR a community identifies a problem and frames a research question. The community then partners with expert researchers who share a common interest in solving the identified problem. The collaboration that occurs between community members and the academic researchers is solely focused on producing usable outcomes from the research. Through this process, new knowledge is created and applied directly to the area that identified the problem.

The College of Public Health engages in several CBPR projects.

 

Appalachian Cancer Control Network

College of Public Health faculty members coordinate the Appalachian Community Cancer Network (ACCN) program in Appalachian Ohio, which includes the 33 counties in the east & south of the state. The ACCN is one of 25 Community Networks Programs in the U.S, funded through April 2010 by the National Cancer Institute's Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. The ACCN consists of a headquarters unit at the University of Kentucky and 5 regional project sites, including the Ohio State University. The major goal of ACCN is to contribute to the reduction of cancer health disparities in Appalachia through education, research, and training. Community-based participatory research is a major thrust of this initiative. Through a community tailored approach, Ohio ACCN staff members collaborate with local coalitions and organizations to increase awareness, provide education, and promote early detection of lung, cervical and colon cancer, all of which have high incidence and mortality rates in the Appalachian region.

 

Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)

The Ohio State University was awarded a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources. The goal of the CCTS is to speed the translation of new scientific discoveries to enhance patient outcomes. Dr. Wewers, faculty member in the College of Public Health, Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion is the director of the Community Engagement (CE) Core for OSU's CCTS. This puts the College of Public Health in a unique position to ensure that CCTS community engaged research activities are coordinated, consistent, and complementary. The CCTS CE Core defines community engagement as two-way partnerships between researchers and community entities throughout the research process. The goal of the CE Core is to create a community-based research network (separate from practice-based research) that encourages and supports community-engaged research throughout the OSU Medical Center, College of Public Health, and other university departments.

 

Center for Population Health and Health Disparities

The overall goal of this NCI P50-funded center is to understand why high rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality are observed in Appalachian Ohio, an underserved area with a high burden of morbidity and mortality. The aims of the studies are accomplished using community based participatory research within the framework of three interrelated projects and four supporting cores. All projects are conducted in 14 clinics where the patient population represents the general population of women aged 18 and older in the region and involve the community in all aspects of the research. Thirteen Appalachian community residents have been hired to serve as project staff for the center.