Community-Based Participatory Research
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a historic strength of the URMC and is a critical tool for the improvement of translational research and population health. Review the Guiding Principles of Community-Engaged Research. The principles were developed in 2008 by the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Community Advisory Council. Researchers engaged in CBPR are strongly encouraged to participate in the CTSI’s CBPR Training Program to build essential skills and foster meaningful community partnerships.
Special Considerations when Conducting Community-Engaged or Community-Based Participatory Research
- The protocol must outline your community partner’s scope of work for the research project in detail (i.e., recruitment, consenting, collecting data, etc..). The Research Subjects Review Board (RSRB) will use this information to determine if the community partners are engaged in the research according to Federal Guidelines. See Office for Human Subject Protection (OHSP) Policy 301: RSRB Scope and Authority and OHSP Guideline on Determining Engagement in Research for additional information.
- A letter of support from the community partner should be provided to demonstrate their agreement to fulfill the scope of work as described in the protocol. The letter of support should include the following and be uploaded as an ‘Other Attachment’ in the local site documents section of the Click IRB Application:
- Be addressed to the Principal Investigator and include the STUDY# and full title.
- Be from a person of authority in that organization.
- Be on the organizational letterhead; it may be an email, but it should include a full signature line from the person of authority.
- Outline the purpose of the study, a basic overview of the protocol and the activities the organization will be involved in, which should be consistent with the scope of work outlined in the protocol.
- If your community partners are engaged in human subject research, they must complete the required human subject protection certification as described in OHSP Policy 201: Educational Program. Please visit the OHSP website on HSP Training for External Research Personnel for more information on specific requirements.
- The protocol must detail any community-level risks associated with the community-engaged or community-based participatory research. When community partners have dual roles both in the Community Organization and as part of the UR research team, special considerations should be addressed regarding potential threats to the voluntary nature of research.
- Community members with dual roles also have additional privacy and confidentiality responsibilities in a research context that they might not have needed in other environments. Consider specific training and management of these issues in advance.