Using a Social-Ecological Framework to Support Community Health Research

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Community-based organizations and academic health centers each have unique resources, assets and expertise which could be used synergistically to promote health in the community by enhancing opportunities for health-related research. The goal of this application is to develop, implement and evaluate a creative and sustainable infrastructure to promote and enable research in the Bronx between Urban Health Plan (UHP), a network of federally-qualified health centers in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the United States, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein) experts in clinical, translational and community research. This goal will be reached over three years through the following Specific Aims. Aim 1 is to complete an in- depth evaluation of the community's capacity and priorities for research employing a community-based participatory approach. This will be accomplished using a social-ecological framework, so that research at all levels--from the individual through comparative effectiveness research to public health and policy--can be addressed. The Einstein Diabetes Research and Training Center research faculty will work with UHP partners to build trust, collaboration and lasting partnerships to complete development of the infrastructure to meet their needs. Experts in community evaluations will guide the process. Einstein researchers will leverage their close working relationships with other strong Einstein research centers, such as for cancer, heart disease, mental health, aging, health disparities, and HIV/AIDS, so that priority health concerns of the community can be addressed. Aim 2 is to implement this infrastructure and to train selected personnel at UHP in high-quality research techniques, including subject recruitment, informed consent and retention, data collection and management, and administration of surveys. The RE-AIM evaluation model will be used to assess this implementation phase as research activities begin. Included in this phase for Aim 2 will be collaboration between UHP and Einstein to evaluate existing UHP funded programs, such as those currently in place for the asthma peer educator program, and to support UHP clinicians in developing their own proposals for funding. Aim 2 will be a phase of acceleration in research productivity at UHP and Einstein. Aim 3 is to evaluate the partnership and infrastructure for UHP-Einstein collaboration and to translate this infrastructure for dissemination to 3 Bronx sites in the Einstein-sponsored New York City Research and Implementation Networking Group, a practice-based research network of over 30 practices. Lessons learned from the UHP collaboration will guide further research capacity development and dissemination in this network. Evaluation of progress in the research network will be accomplished by the end of year 3. Planning for sustainability will be a priority in each aim and each year of this project. The public health impact of this collaboration to build infrastructure will be measured using the RE-AIM model appropriate for each aim and by the specific health or clinical practice outcomes chosen for emphasis by the community and academic health center partners. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The public health impact of this collaboration to build sustainable infrastructure will be measured using a social-ecological framework and the RE-AIM model, and by the specific health or clinical practice outcomes chosen for emphasis by the community and academic health center partners. Community-based organizations and academic health centers each have unique resources and expertise which will be used synergistically to promote health in the community by enhancing opportunities for health-related research.