Community-engaged research
Our philosophy: Research WITH communities for the betterment of society, not merely research ON communities for the betterment of science.
At VCU, community-engaged research is a collaborative process between the researcher and community partner that creates and disseminates knowledge and creative expression with the goal of contributing to the discipline and strengthening the well-being of the community.
As a high-impact practice, CEnR expands opportunities for engagement among students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, including first-generation and Pell-eligible students, as well as early-career faculty and community members.
Advocates assert that community-engaged research promotes better research and translation of findings. Other benefits of community-engaged research include development of research that is responsive to community need, increased capacity built through partnerships, expanded funding opportunities, and greater opportunities to translate findings into practice (Adapted from Carnegie and CDC, 2015).
What methods are used in community-engaged research?
Community-engaged research can be quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods:
- Community-based, participatory research
- Applied research
- Contractual research (funded by government, non-governmental organizations or business)
- Demonstration projects
- Needs and assets assessments
- Program evaluations
What does community-engaged research look like?
- Community stakeholders on project steering committees and other deliberative and decision-making bodies
- Community advisory boards
- Compensation for the community’s time and other contributions
- Dissemination of results back out to the community
- Takes time, collaboration and flexibility
What is community-engaged research NOT?
- Focus groups or interviews
- A research methodology
- An add-on
- A one-size fits all approach
- Appropriate for all research
- Recruitment of minority research participants
- A relinquishing of all insight or control by researchers
The Wright Center
The Wright Center supports early-career faculty in developing community-engaged research skills. Through specialized training and resources, the center empowers researchers to integrate community-based approaches into their clinical and translational work.
Society and Health
An academic research center that studies the health implications of social factors
Resources
Below are resources sourced from VCU Faculty, Staff, Community Partners, as well as the former CEnR Resource Hub. The following categories are included:
- Presentations – Powerpoint presentations that provide an overview of the topic.
- Readings – Selected journal articles, organization/institution briefs, literature reviews, etc. to be used as student readings.
- Videos – Range from brief clips to highlight an aspect of a topic to longer talks/speaker and panel sessions offering a more in depth focus on a topic or aspect of a topic.
- CEnR Examples – Student reflections on a CEnR research project, case studies, CEnR project summaries/outlines.
- Reflection Activities – Activities that relate to a specific topic and may be used in class or as out of class assignments in conjunction with other resources or as stand-alone activities.
*Please use a proper citation format when sharing resources, rather than just providing a link, to ensure the author, institution, or organization receives proper credit.
Resources on "What is CEnR?"
Presentations (ppt)
- Hall, A. (2018). Introduction to Community-engaged Research: Overview Presentation for Students. Virginia Commonwealth University: Richmond, VA.
*PPT includes Benefits to Community and Academic Partnerships video and reflection activities listed below.Readings
- Fitzgerald, H., Bruns, K., Sonka, S., Furco, A., and Swanson, L. (2012). The Centrality of Engagement in Higher Education. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 16 (3): 7.
- Strand, K., Marullo, S., Cutforth, N., Stoecker, R., & Donohue, P. (2003). Principles of Best Practice for Community-Based Research. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 9(3): 5-15.
- Clinical and Translational Science Awards Consortium Community Engagement Key Function Committee Task Force on the Principles of Community Engagement. (2011). Principles of Community Engagement (2nd Ed.). NIH Publication No. 11-7782, Department of Health & Human Services: Washington, DC.
Videos
- Holland, B. (2016). What is the Role of Community Engagement in Higher Education? VCU Community Engagement, Virginia Commonwealth University: Richmond, VA. (video 3:24min) *Barbara Holland discusses community engagement in higher-ed in a Curios CoLab Google Hangout.
- Laqua, K. (2016). What is Community Engaged Research? Project498,University of Toronto: Ontario, Canada. (video 5:05min). *Brief introduction to CEnR video.
- Vanderbilt University. (2015). Academics in Action! A Model for Community-engaged Research, Teaching & Service. Filmed and edited by CinematicFocus. (video 10:16min) *Community-engaged researchers from a variety of disciplines discuss CEnR.
- Haley, A., Walker, A., & Holton, V. (Producers) & Polk, J. C. (Principal) (2014). Community-Engaged Research: Benefits to Community and Academic Partnerships. Vicissitude Productions: Richmond, VA. (video 5:37min). *VCU researchers (from a variety of disciplines) and community partners share the benefits of CEnR.
- Haley, A., Walker, A., & Holton, V. (Producers) & Polk, J. C. (Principal) (2014). Community-Engaged Research: Trust, Respect, Conflict, and Honesty. Vicissitude Productions: Richmond, VA. (video 3:43min). *VCU researchers (from a variety of disciplines) and community partners share the importance of trust and respect within CEnR.
CEnR Examples
- CEnR Cases @ VCU: Examples of CEnR Research at VCU from a variety of disciplines. *Summaries of CEnR studies by VCU faculty and community partners.
- Project 498: Independent Community Engaged Research Seminar, University of Toronto (2016). *Reflections from students participating in this research seminar – includes a variety of disciplines and research methods.
Resources on Collaborative Partnerships
Presentations (ppt)
- Gregory, L (2025). Engaging Communities in Research. Central Virginia SOCRA Chapter Meeting, Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University.
- Lee, K. (2019). Community science: What can you do to engage the community? Accessed from communityscience.com
Readings
- Southern California Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Community Engagement. Toolkit for developing community partnerships. Accessed from: https://sc-ctsi.org/resources/developing-community-partnerships-toolkit
- Goodman, L.A., Thomas, K.A., Serrata, J.V., Lippy, C., Nnawulezi, N., Ghanbarpour, S., Macy, R., Sullivan, C. & Bair-Merritt, M.A. (2017). Power through partnerships: A CBPR toolkit for domestic violence researchers. National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, Harrisburg, PA. Retrieved from cbprtoolkit.org
- Sadler, L., Larson, J., Bouregy, S., LaPaglia, D., Bridger, L., McCaslin, C., and Rockwell, S. (2012). Community–University Partnerships in Community-Based Research: National Institute of Health Public Access Author Manuscript. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD. *Published in final edited form as:
Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2012; 6(4): 463–469. doi:10.1353/cpr.2012.0053. - Andrews, J., Newman, S., Meadows, O., Cox, M. and Bunting, S. (2012). Partnership readiness for community-based participatory research. Health Education Research, 27(4): 555-571.
- Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services (2011). Community-Based Research Toolkit: Resource for Doing Research with Community for Social Change. Toronto, Canada.
- Newman, SD., Andrews, JO., Magwood, GS., Jenkins, C., Cox, MJ., and Williamson DC. (2011). Community advisory boards in community-based participatory research: a synthesis of best processes. Preventing Chronic Disease, 8(3): 1-12. http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2011/may/10_0045.htm.
- Pasick R, Oliva G, Goldstein E, Nguyen T. (2010). Community-Engaged Research with Community-Based Organizations: A Resource Manual for UCSF Researchers. From the Series: UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Resource Manuals and Guides to Community-Engaged Research, P. Fleisher, ed. Published by Clinical Translational Science Institute Community Engagement Program, University of
California San Francisco. http://ctsi.ucsf.edu/files/CE/manual_for_researchers_agencies.pdf - Ross, L., Loup, A., Nelson, R., Botkin, J., Kost, R., Smith, G., and Gehlert, S. (2010). The Challenges of Collaboration for Academic and Community Partners in a Research Partnership: Points to Consider. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics: 19–31. Print issn 1556-2646, online issn 1556-2654.
- Sandy, M. and Holland, B. (Fall 2006). Different Worlds and Common Ground: Community Partner Perspectives on Campus-Community Partnerships. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning. p. 30-43.
- Srinivasan, S. and Collman, G. (2005). Evolving Partnerships in Community. Environmental Health Perspectives, 13(12): 1814-1816.
Videos
- Chavez, V. (2012). Cultural Humility in Community Based Participatory Research and Education. *Part 3 of 4 in “Cultural Humility: People, Principles and Practices“, a 30-minute documentary by San Francisco State professor Vivian Chávez.
*The following videos retrieved from Section III of Power through partnerships: A CBPR toolkit for domestic violence researchers, as cited within the Readings section of the “CEnR Approaches and Design” page.
- Strategies for establishing and sustaining relationships with CBPR community partners by Nkiru Nnawulezi, PhD, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Transparency is critical in CBPR by Shanti Kulkarni, PhD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Anticipating ways researchers can harm community collaborators by Susan Ghanbarpour, PhD, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
- Strengths and resources that community partners bring to CBPR by Amanda Stylianou, PhD, Safe Horizon
- How structural oppression manifests and functions within a CBPR partnership by Carrie Lippy, PhD, The National LGBTQ Institute on IPV
- Strategies for collaborative and transparent decision-making in CBPR by Rebecca J. Macy, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CEnR Examples
- University of South Carolina and Columbia Housing Authority. (2011). Photovoice: From Snapshots to Civic Action. (video 3:06min)
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. (2017). Collaborations with Native American Nations. (video 3:42min)
- Garcia-Acosta, R., Vargas, R. and Wortis, N. (2010). Community-university partnerships to prevent street violence and promote resiliency. School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Accessed from: partnerships.ucsf.edu/publications/reports
- LearnRVA. (2016). Course Projects. Retrieved February 12, 2020, from https://learnrva.org/course-projects/
Resources on CEnR Approaches & Design
Presentations (ppt)
- Heaney, C. (2014). What is community-based participatory research? And how to tell if it’s real CBPR or not. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Readings
- Horowitz, C., Robinson, M. and Seifer, S. (2019). Community-based participatory research from the margin to the mainstream: Are researchers prepared? Circulation, 119(19): 2633-2642. Accessed from: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.729863
- Philis-Tsimikas, A., Gallo, L., Hernandez, M., Ruiz, M., Fortmann, A. and Ayala, A. (2019). Toolbox for conducting community-engaged research. Scripps Translational Science Institute & Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute.
- Glandon, D., Piana, L., Alonge, O., Peters, D. and Bennett, S. (2017). 10 best resources for community-engagement in implementation research. Health Policy and Planning, 32: 1457-1465.
- Anderson, E., Solomon, S., Heitman, E., DuBois, J., Fisher, C., Kost, R., Lawless, ME., Ramsey, C., Jones, B., Ammerman, A. and Friedman-Ross, L. (2012). Research ethics education for community-engaged research: A review and research agenda. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics, 7(2): 3-19.
- Hacker, K. and Glover, J. (2011). Community-engaged research and the institutional review board: Principles, challenges, and opportunities. Harvard Catalyst: The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center.
- McDonald, MA. (2006). Practicing community-engaged research. Duke Center for Community Research. Accessed from: http://www.dtmi.duke.edu/dccr/community-linked-research/
- Strand, K., Marullo, S., Cutforth, N., Stoecker, R., & Donohue, P. (2003). Principles of best practice for community-based research. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 9(3): 5-15.
Videos
- A Bridge Between Communities (2000). By Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center. (video 30:05min) *This documentary introduces viewers to the theory and practice of CBPR. The video tells the story of the history and activities of the Detroit URC and highlights the challenges and benefits of conducting CBPR.
- Vera Institute of Justice. (2016). Participatory Action Research: Young Women’s Empowerment Project. (video 4:45min) This video is part of the Neil A. Weiner Research Speaker series. *In this video, Shira Hassan of the Young Women’s Empowerment Project, a community-based, youth-led project that was founded in 2001, discusses the use of participatory action research in the project’s recent report, “Girls Do What They Have To Do To Survive.”
CEnR Examples
- Center on Society and Health. (2014). Engaging Richmond. Virginia Commonwealth University: Richmond, VA.
- Martin del Campo, F., Casado, J., Spencer, P., & Strelnick, H. (2013). The development of the Bronx Community Research Review Board: a pilot feasibility project for a model of community consultation. Progress in community health partnerships : research, education, and action, 7(3): 341–352. doi:10.1353/cpr.2013.0037
- Koster, R., Baccar, K. and Lemelin, RH. (2012). Moving from research on, to research with and for indigenous communities: A critical reflection on community-based participatory research. The Canadian Geographer, 56(2): 195-210.
Resources on Dissemination & Translation of Findings
Presentations (ppt)
- Hall, A. (2019). CEnR: An overview of community dissemination & translation of findings. Virginia Commonwealth University: Richmond, VA.
Readings
- CARE: Community Alliance for Research and Engagement. Beyond scientific publication: Strategies for disseminating research findings. Yale Center for Clinical Investigation.
- Marple-Cantrell, K. (2018). Sharing evaluation findings with community stakeholders. 2018 World Bank Conference on land and poverty. The World Bank: Washington DC.
- McDavitt, B., Bogart, L., Mutchler, M., Wagner, G., Green, H., Lawrence, SJ., Mutepfa, K. and Nogg, K. (2016). Dissemination as dialogue: Building trust and sharing research findings through community engagement. Preventing Chronic Disease, 12(38).
- Dissemination Planning Tool: Exhibit A from Volume 4. [Website Module]. Content last reviewed/updated October 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
- Balazs, C. and Morello-Frosch, R. (2013). The three Rs: How community-based participatory research strengthens rigor, relevance, and reach of science. Environmental Justice, 6(1): 9-16.
- Faculty of Arts. (2011). Exchanging knowledge: A research dissemination toolkit. University of Regina, Community Research Unit.
- Schillinger, D. (2010). An introduction to effectiveness, dissemination and implementation research: A resource manual for community engaged research. P. Fleisher and E. Goldstein, eds. From the Series: UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Resource Manuals and Guides to Community-Engaged Research, P. Fleisher, ed. Published by Clinical Translational Science Institute Community Engagement Program, University of California San Francisco.
Videos
- Jenkins, C. (2016). Translational research: Where are our communities? Medical University of South Carolina. (1 hour 21 min).
CEnR Examples
- Wallerstein, N. and Duran, B. (2016). CBPR and CEnR: Facilitating implementation science outcomes. NCI Advanced Topics in Implementation Science Webinar Series. (Webinar 55:06min).
- Wilkins, C. (2011). Communicating results of community-based participatory research. Virtual Mentor, AMA Journal of Ethics, 13(2): 81-85. Accessed from: https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/communicating-results-community-based-participatory-research/2011-02
- Lichtveld, M., Kennedy, S., Krouse, R. Z., Grimsley, F., El-Dahr, J., Bordelon, K., … Cohn, R. D. (2016). From design to dissemination: Implementing community-based participatory research in post-disaster communities. American Journal of Public Health, 106(7): 1235–1242. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303169
Share Additional Resources
Please feel free to recommend CEnR resources and/or provide feedback by emailing engage@vcu.edu or wellingtonc@vcu.edu.
Facilities and Resources Guide
This document outlines various resources and facilities that DCE offers to researchers, specifically to support projects focused on community engagement.
CONNECT: Community-Based Data Dissemination Framework
This document outlines our "CONNECT" framework, a structured, collaborative approach to data dissemination in community-engaged research.
IRB Resources for Community-Engaged Research
View the various resources we have available for Community Involvement in Research Training, such as a History of Research Abuse Presentation, Handouts, Workbooks, & Manuals