By Ellen Molino
Community members deserve access to the knowledge discovered through the research studies they participate in and to engage with the programs they help to create. Community-engaged research dissemination is crucial in building trust, strengthening academic-community partnerships and increasing future participation in research. It also creates opportunities to explore the implications of research findings from a local perspective. Finally, it empowers providers to implement findings immediately and locally, potentially reducing gaps between research and practice.
These compelling reasons, along with community feedback, are the inspiration for our now annual research dissemination event. The 2nd annual event, Bienestar y Avances: Colaboración con la Comunidad Latina, was held at the A. Hoen and Co. Building on September 26, 2024 from 5-7 pm and was conducted entirely in Spanish. Past and current participants in Centro SOL research studies were invited in addition to key stakeholders in the research and public health community of Baltimore.
Leaders from Centro SOL and the Center for Community Global Health presented meaningful summaries of their research studies and provided tangible ways that the Latino community’s engagement with these studies enhances the research process and enables investigators to produce and fund more culturally appropriate, evidence-based interventions and community programs. Dr. Sarah Polk, Co-Director of Centro SOL, thanked families for participating in research and encouraged them to share the benefits of their experience as a study participant with their friends and family to ensure their community is equitably represented in local research.
The second half of the event involved small groups rotating among workshop areas designated for different research projects. Each area showcased a different faculty-led research project and focused on a unique research question that attendees could consider and discuss with their peers and the project’s researchers. This engaging activity emphasized to community members how important their lived experience is in informing investigators how best to adapt their programs to practically meet the needs of the community.
The community-focused approach of the event fostered meaningful dialogue between researchers and those most affected by public health issues. This interaction will undoubtedly help in developing culturally relevant interventions. Involving community members in discussions about new findings is particularly crucial for addressing health disparities. Those who work with or are members of a target population can shed light on factors that need to be addressed. Without such input, interventions may be ineffective.
