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these dealt only with pharmacy matters and one-third dealt also with other matters. The number of new committees set up increased slowly until 1967 and then showed a sharp rise. Their terms of reference, membership, and manner of appointment varied greatly. Among subjects dealt with the cost of drugs and the introduction of new prescribing sheets were prominent. Many of the respondents believed that the work of the committees, often with the help of smaller, more specialized groups, had significantly improved various aspects of the local supply and use of drugs. References

Dedicated teams of diverse community collaborators and academic investigators are a fundamental component of community-engaged research. One way to build and support community-engaged research within a Learning Health System is through a community advisory committee. Such a group provides a place for community voices to be heard and facilitates discussions between diverse community members and researchers. Here, we provide guidance on developing and maintaining a community advisory committee for effective research engagement and dissemination, and provide examples of successes and challenges in developing and maintaining community and academic partnerships to foster community-engaged research. An effective community advisory committee can contribute to better, more relevant science and can support Learning Health Systems as they apply evidence to improve care within hospitals and health within communities.

For letters on scientific subjects we normally reserve our correspondence columns for those relating to issues discussed recently (within six weeks) in the BMJ7. * We do not routinely acknowledge letters. Please send a stamped addressed envelope ifyou would like an acknowledgment. * Because we receive many more letters than we can publish we may shorten those we do print, particularly when we receive several on the same subject.