Do you have any plans to work collaboratively in a research institution - community relationship? Are you beginning to plan a community project that calls for prior investigation of such questions as who would be helped by the program, or how the program should be organized for maximum effectiveness?

Are you a biomedical researcher engaged in translational research -- a bench-to-bedside approach to medical innovation sponsored by the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/clinical/research/overview-translational.asp

Are you a community leader who needs to know how to forge a long-term relationship with a research institution that will truly satisfy the needs and modes of operation of your organization?

This conference will enable researchers, research administrators (including IRB members) and community members to work productively in a community-researcher relationship. It will focus on developing a 5, 10 or more year relationship in which important interventions are developed to the mutual satisfaction of all concerned.

Be a Leader in Improving CBPR Practices

• Learn how to work effectively in town-gown relationships.
• Ensure satisfaction of the needs of all parties involved.
• Become competent at negotiating successful agreements among the stakeholders in CBPR.

Why is this Conference Important?

Applied research in communities often fails to get started, or fails to yield knowledge that is usable or used, because it lacks an effective community-researcher partnership. CBPR is an integral partnership that must be long-lasting to bear fruit (perhaps at least 5 years and ideally longer). It requires a sustained commitment by all stakeholders to remain a part of the project despite changes in stakeholder priorities, project funding and community politics. But it is like a round peg in a square hole: The bureaucracies of research institutions and funders do not mesh easily with communities, their members and leaders. Often academic institutions and funders must relinquish some of their standard requirements and procedures in order to accommodate the culture and procedures of communities. Academic researchers have long practiced “grab the data and run” and communities no longer permit such exploitation. Unless community-based research projects take the necessary steps to get everyone “on the same page” they may be short lived.