Community-partnered research conference model: the experience of Community Partners in Care study

Abstract

The problem: Conducting community-partnered research conferences is a powerful yet underutilized approach to translating research into practice and improving result dissemination and intervention sustainability strategies. Nonetheless, detailed descriptions of conference features and ways to use them in empirical research are rare.

Purpose: We describe how community-partnered conferences may be integrated into research projects by using an example of Community Partners in Care (CPIC), a large, cluster-randomized, controlled, trial (RCT) that uses community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) principles.

Key points: Our conceptual model illustrates the role community-partnered research conferences may play in three study phases and describes how different conference features may increase community engagement, build two-way capacity, and ensure equal project ownership.

Conclusions: As the number of community-partnered studies grows, so too does the need for practical tools to support this work. Community-partnered research conferences may be effectively employed in translational research to increase two-way capacity building and promote long-term intervention success.

Figures

Figure 1

A Model for Integrating Community-Partnered Research Conferences in Scientific Studies

Figure 2

Select Kick-Off Conference Evaluation Results (Combined N=166)

Figure 3

Select Dissemination Conference Evaluation Results (N=60)