Community Participatory Research on Health Disparities

Educational Psychology

In the News Discussion Guides: February 2017

The Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University is offering a series of resources that will act as framings for a few issues that developed over the past several weeks, including possible readings, sources, and discussion questions. Think of these as starting points for purposeful, educational classroom and co-curricular discussions. Read more about the importance of these conversations in our blog post on the power of these teachable moments Read More from the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University More on the In the News Discussion Guide Series from IDHE

Psychology SL Internship Course

Course Description Provides students with opportunities for learning through practical experience in a professional setting. The intern will be given the chance to relate principles presented in textbooks and classroom settings to real-life situations, under responsible supervision. Course Objectives This course will: Provide the opportunity for students to actively examine their values, with respect to their roles both as individuals and professionals, within the broader social context Provide the opportunity for students to understand the need for a sense of community and shared endeavor, while concurrently appreciating professional, cultural, and personal diversity Help students develop sensitivity to the close interdependence…

Psychology Integration SL Year-long Course

This Capstone Seminar in the fall is part of a 2-course sequence. The overarching theme for both courses is “Culmination and Integration— A Year in Living the Mission of LMU.” The Capstone Seminar in Fall 2015, drawing on the Bio-Psycho-Socio/Cultural model and the gifts of discernment and Ignatian Spirituality lay the theoretical foundation for a more practical aspect of the year-long objectives in Spring 2016. The seminar in the fall (Part I) is designed to enliven the first 2 pillars of the LMU Mission, the Encouragement of Learning (in all its forms) and the Education of the Whole Person. The…

Kinesthetic Learning Course: Experiental Methods & Practices

Catalog Description: Examination, application, and analysis of the methods and benefits of the kinesthetic teaching style; including educational theory, purpose, and practice. Students will conduct research projects that involve designing, developing, and implementing psychomotor, cognitive, and affective skill building lesson plans using kinesthetic methods. Attending a live dance performance is required. Offered annually. Course Overview: This is a research course with a service learning component. The class format includes lecture and discussion, reading the text and recommended handouts, viewing videos, studio work, and practical experiences at the college and in community settings in the form of service learning projects. Learning…

Community Nutrition SL Course

Course Description: The focus of this course is to examine the role of the dietitian/nutritionist in identifying health and nutrition problems and integrating nutritional services with medical and social services within the community. Prerequisite(s): NTRN 1513 Introduction to Nutrition or NTRN 1483 Personal Nutrition. This course will provide basic knowledge and skills relevant to the practice of community nutrition. We will cover the concept of community, the role of nutrition in health promotion and perspectives for resolving community nutrition problems. Needs assessment issues and national and state community nutrition programs, determinants of health outcomes, measurement of nutrition and health status,…

Psychiatric Nursing SL Course

Catalog Course Description: This course will focus on primary, secondary, and tertiary care of patients across the lifespan with psychopathology and/or psychosocial integrity variances. Students will incorporate a holistic perspective in planning individualized care for patients in an acute behavioral health care unit and in the community. Experiential learning will take place in an acute care clinical setting and in a community setting. Pre-requisites: NUR383, NUR 385, and NUR387. Spring semester. Course Outcomes: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Expected Student Learning Outcome (ESLO) Institutional Student learning Outcomes (ISLO) See below for the full syllabus: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing SL Course…

Neuroscience Service-Learning Project for K-12 Students

This packet created by Stockton University’s faculty/staff Dr. Elizabeth Shobe, Michael Tumminia, Jemila Worley, Zayhira Roa, and Melissa Cornelius, contains many great exercises and games that help teach youth about neuroscience at an early age. The Last page of the packet includes websites to learn more.

Neuroscience Service-Learning Project for College Students

This effort was conducted by Stockton University to integrate service learning into Neuroscience courses. They chose matters that were relevant to the community (such as nutrition and memory) and created this pamphlet. Another note: Stockton University’s Neuroscience Club created a successful event called “Me, My Brain, and I”. This event was conducted by college students who wanted to teach the community about relevant matters in the field that pertained to them and captivated them. The club members received a modest grant and used this to incentivize people to come learn about neuroscience (they gave away long-boards and helmets).

Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action

This special issue of Progress in Community Health Partnerships (PCHP), “Maximizing Community Contributions, Benefits, and Outcomes in Clinical and Translational Research,” seeks to advance the field of community-based health research by providing information, tools, and understanding of the accomplishments, best practices, and challenges that community and academic partners have experienced in their engagement with National Institutes of Health-funded Clinical and Translational Science Awardees (CTSAs) and other research entities. Shepard, P.M., Idehen, A., Casado, J., Freeman, E., Horowitz, C., Seifer, S., & Hal Strelnick, H. (Eds.). (2013). Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 7(3), 231-233.

Bridging the gap of knowledge and action: A case for participatory action research (PAR)

What is the purpose of knowledge? Is it an end product only, or a means for action for change? Who is expected to take action – the researcher, research subjects, both, or some unknown others who may come across the knowledge produced? The larger question then is: is it health research, or research for health, equity and development? This article raises these concerns in context of a study conducted in Pakistan entitled Women’s Empowerment in Muslim Contexts (WEMC). It proposes, especially, in resource poor countries, combining health research with Paolo Freire’s view of participation and change, and sees action by…

Integrating community-based participatory research and informatics approaches to improve the engagement and health of underserved populations

This study compared 5 health informatics research projects that applied community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches with the goal of extending existing CBPR principles to address issues specific to health informatics research. Researchers found that benefits of applying CBPR approaches to health informatics research across the cases included the following: developing more relevant research with wider impact, greater engagement with diverse populations, improved internal validity, more rapid translation of research into action, and the development of people. The authors then created several principles that extended an existing CBPR framework to specifically address health informatics research requirements. Unertl, K. M., Schaefbauer, C.L., Campbell, T.R.,…

Community engagement in research: Frameworks for education and peer review

This paper describes the National Institutes of Health Director’s Council of Public Representatives’ (DCPR) community engagement framework, which was designed to educate researchers to create and sustain authentic community – academic partnerships that will increase accountability and equality between the partners. The framework includes values, strategies to operationalize each value, and potential outcomes of their use in community engaged research, as well as a peer review criteria for evaluating research that engages communities. Ahmed, S. M &. Palermo, A. S. (2010). Community engagement in research: Frameworks for education and peer review. American Journal of Public Health, 100(8), 1380-1387.

Relationships hold the key to trustworthy and productive translational science: Recommendations for expanding community engagement in biomedical research

Good relationships between research institutions and communities are an essential, but often neglected, part of the infrastructure of translational science. In this article, the authors report the results of a workshop they convened to learn how such relationships are best created and sustained. They highlight common barriers and challenges that hinder relationships, and provide recommendations that research institutions and teams can use to expand and strengthen their relationships with community members. Yarborough, M., Edwards, K., Espinoza, P., Geller, G., Sarwal, A., Sharp, R. R., & Spicer, P. Relationships hold the key to trustworthy and productive translational science: Recommendations for expanding…

CBPR with service providers: Arguing a case for engaging practitioners in all phases of research

This literature review focuses on ways that professional service providers (those with specialized skills, training, and knowledge) have engaged in CBPR, experienced benefits from their engagement, contributed to health promotion research, and faced challenges in collaboration. The authors discuss the implication of these topics on policy and practice. Spector, A.Y. (2012). CBPR with service providers: Arguing a case for engaging practitioners in all phases of research. Health Promotion Practice, 13 (2), 252-258. Full Text.

Action-oriented research: Strategies for engaged scholarship

How can family scholars use action-oriented research to work with community partners and develop useful knowledge about their practices and programs? This article aims to answer this question by providing practical strategies such as how to: develop collaborative relationships; determine sound research questions; follow guidelines to select and design research projects; and collect and disseminate data. Small, S.A., & Uttal, L. (2005). Action-oriented research: Strategies for engaged scholarship. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(4), 936-948. Full Text.

A community-based participatory planning process and multilevel intervention design: Toward eliminating cardiovascular health inequities

CBPR methods can facilitate a research process that effectively engages local expertise, is informed by existing public health knowledge, and builds support from various sectors to implement solutions. This article examines a CBPR approach employed by the Healthy Environments Partnership Community Approaches to Cardiovascular Health (HEP-CATCH) to identify and develop intervention strategies. The authors provide background to cardiovascular disease in Detroit, Michigan, and then discuss in depth the three phases of the project: the community assessment, the community action planning, and the implementation of the multilevel intervention to address inequalities in cardiovascular disease. The article concludes with a discussion on…

International participatory research framework: triangulating procedures to build health research capacity in Brazil

This article presents the International Participatory Research Framework (IPRF), a set of triangulated procedures that researchers can use to conduct participatory research in myriad international settings. The IPRF comprises four recursive steps: (i) contextualizing the host country; (ii) identifying collaborators in the host country; (iii) seeking advice and endorsement from gatekeepers and (iv) matching partners’ expertise, needs and interests. The IPRF also includes the following sets of recursive participatory actions: (1) becoming familiar with local languages and culture; (2) sharing power, ideas, influence and resources; (3) gathering oral and written information about partners; (4) establishing realistic expectations and (5) resolving…

Partnering to translate evidence-based programs to community settings: bridging the gap between research and practice

An important mechanism for bridging the discovery-delivery gap is using university-community partnerships to prepare community-based organizations to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs). The authors present their experience as an example of using a university-community partnership to help translate EBPs in a small community setting, to serve as a resource for others wishing to conduct such a project. They review the steps of systematic planning and client needs assessment to decide on an EBP, and highlight each research partner’s role and activities in facilitating the successful translation of an EBP. They present lessons learned and recommendations. Miller, A. L., Krusky, A. M.,…