Community Engagement Core

Modified Abstract Section: FIU-RCMI Community Engagement Core (CEC) ABSTRACT Research intended to improve human health is more likely to produce findings that are relevant, actionable, and widely adopted when it integrates community perspectives into its design, implementation, and dissemination. Florida International University (FIU) is one of the largest public universities in the nation and has a long-standing tradition of leveraging its research expertise and resources, knowledge to support the health of neighboring communities. During FIU-RCMI’s initial funding cycle (September 2017- June 2021), the Community Engagement Core (CEC) was successful in accomplishing its original goals and considerably expanded its community-engaged research efforts through supplements and external grant funding. For this renewal period, the CEC will seek to leverage this success by proposing to expand and strengthen bidirectional linkages with community-based organizations (CBOs) and provide stakeholders with opportunities to contribute to the design, implementation, and dissemination of the FIU-RCMI’s research with communities in South Florida. During the renewal cycle, the proposed CEC activities and personnel structure involve several innovative aspects in order to promote community-academic partnerships, enhance the capacity for conducting community-engaged research, and aid in translational efforts of research findings. The implementation of CEC core activities will be guided by the following Specific Aims: Aim 1 - Convene a Community Advisory Board (CAB) comprised of a broad network of stakeholders to assist in guiding and facilitating the Center’s community-engaged research; Aim 2 - Implement activities that establish and strengthen research partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) in support of health research being conducted at FIU; and Aim 3 - Facilitate opportunities for training in community-engaged research to enhance both community and academic capacity for collaborative health research. The CEC will work seamlessly with the other FIU-RCMI Cores through timely communication, regular meetings, and exchanges of information, to closely link researchers and community leaders. This application reflects FIU-RCMI’s ongoing commitment to collaborative, action-oriented community engagement as a foundation for advancing impactful health research.