Research Project: Community Engagement Core

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – Community Engagement (CE) Core The Community Engagement (CE) Core advances the scientific mission of CAPS by closing the gap between research and practice. Engaging the community in research to address policies, practices, and programs relevant to their well-being is critical to ending the HIV epidemic and ensuring that the full prevention and care toolbox is accessible to all. CAPS will base its CE activities on substantial theory and evidence, guided by the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Community Engagement framework, to promote the mutual and bidirectional exchange of information, ideas, and expertise between community members and researchers. The Core proposes to carry out three aims: (1) Connect high-impact HIV science to communities (scientist à community); (2) Integrate community perspectives into high-impact HIV science (community àscientist); and (3) Foster community-engaged research (communityßà scientist). The CE Core will increase community access, both domestic and international, to CAPS's innovative HIV research by implementing evidence-based translation strategies, by reviewing, synthesizing, translating, and broadly disseminating cross-cutting HIV research findings. The CE Core will also support the CAPS Community Advisory Board to provide community input to strengthen the design, implementation, and dissemination of research findings, especially considering the co- occurring and multiplicative factors that underlie HIV health disparities and by including those working in traditional and nontraditional HIV-related health systems. And the CE Core will strengthen the capacity of CAPS scientists and community stakeholders to participate collaboratively in CE research on HIV, including research on co-occurring and multiplicative factors resulting in HIV health disparities, and research on health systems. Through its activities, the CE Core will help CAPS scientists thoughtfully engage with communities to formulate and conduct research projects, interpret and disseminate the findings, and foster research that is prioritized by, meaningful to, and respectful of people affected by HIV.