A Model for Bidirectional Community-Academic Engagement (CAE): Overview of Partnered Research, Capacity Enhancement, Systems Transformation, and Public Trust in Research

The University of Maryland’s Office of Policy and Planning in collaboration with urban and rural community partners, planned and implemented a model for community-academic engagement (CAE) in partnered research and programs. The model addressed health disparities, cancer and tobacco-related diseases, and public trust in research. Environments have flourished that resulted in bidirectional community-academic interactions, and led to transformation of the academic environment and community capacity to identify and address health issues. This collaborative model produced:

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  enhanced public trust in research; and

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  enhanced community and Academic Health Center (AHC) capacity to address community health needs as partners.

A unique feature of this model is AHC’s shared grant funding with community partners serving diverse and medically underserved communities for predetermined roles in research, policy and educational programs. Over $18 million in grant funding was provided to community organizations. This paper presents an overview of this model as a case study.