The transformation of biomedical research requires the development of a true continuum from bench to community.  Communication and collaboration among the major sectors of the health community – the academic community, the practice community, and the public health community -- are essential to improve the community’s health and overall quality of life.

The University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) aims to build new and sustainable communications channels among these key segments and to promote grassroots community participation in clinical and translational research. Its Community Engagement function, which is administered by the URMC’s Center for Community Health, will provide the infrastructure to support the CTSI community engagement mission by facilitating communication and genuine partnerships among investigators, health care providers, and community members.

Specifically, the CTSI Community Engagement function will accomplish this goal through four community-focused activities:

  1. Increase community engagement in the design and conduct of research. Expand expertise in community-participatory research at the URMC; establish research partnerships with community organizations; and engage community members in developing research priorities, research design, and implementation strategies.
  2. Increase provider participation in research. Foster collaboration between primary care clinicians and researchers through the newly established Greater Rochester Practice-Based Research Network (GR-PBRN) to improve patient care and outcomes through practice-based research, implement training and consultation for investigators and clinicians, and participate in MetaNet-NY, a network of statewide PBRNs.
  3. Improve community engagement capacity of investigators and students. Improve the ability of investigators to understand and incorporate community perspectives. Develop and implement new online training programs for new and established clinical investigators, as well as a combined online/in-class course for MD/MPH and MPH students to address the key components of community engaged research.
  4. Increase diversity in recruitment and retention. Increase the level and diversity of subject participation in research.  Promote awareness of research among the public, design and test innovative community-driven recruitment and retention strategies, maintain an annotated bibliography of evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies, and maintain a database focusing on recruitment and retention methods and results for research projects in the Upstate New York region.

Through these approaches, the CTSI’s Community Engagement function will contribute to a more active clinical and translational research environment and greater participation by the local community.