Engaging community in the translational process: Environmental scan of adaptive capacity and preparedness of Clinical and Translational Science Award Program hubs

Abstract

This paper is part of the Environmental Scan of Adaptive Capacity and Preparedness of Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs, illuminating challenges, practices, and lessons learned related to CTSA hubs’ efforts of engaging community partners to reduce the spread of the virus, address barriers to COVID-19 testing, identify treatments to improve health outcomes, and advance community participation in research. CTSA researchers, staff, and community partners collaborated to develop evidence-based, inclusive, accessible, and culturally appropriate strategies and resources helping community members stay healthy, informed, and connected during the pandemic. CTSA institutions have used various mechanisms to advance co-learning and co-sharing of knowledge, resources, tools, and experiences between academic professionals, patients, community partners, and other stakeholders. Forward-looking and adaptive decision-making structures are those that prioritize sustained relationships, mutual trust and commitment, ongoing communication, proactive identification of community concerns and needs, shared goals and decision making, as well as ample appreciation of community members and their contributions to translational research. There is a strong need for further community-engaged research and workforce training on how to build our collective and individual adaptive capacity to sustain and improve processes and outcomes of engagement with and by communities—in all aspects of translational science.

Improving quality and efficiency of translational research: Environmental scan of adaptive capacity and preparedness of Clinical and Translational Science Award Program hubs

“…The overreliance on new technology for recruitment purposes, the dearth of easily accessible and/or diverse bio-data repositories, and the lack of bi-directional, culturally-competent communication with Special and Underserved populations were detrimental to the CTSA hubs' mission of delivering scientific solutions to all, going beyond the narrow scope of clinical trials, and advancing the CTSAs' leadership role for more equitable healthcare. 49,50 Paton & Buergelt 51…”

“…An important omission to quality and efficiency of research during the pandemic was a lack of discussion of how the impetus to pivot resources, keep the research enterprise going, and innovate while searching for solutions to overcome the pandemichad an unintended consequence of exacerbating structural health disparities. The overreliance on new technology for recruitment purposes, the dearth of easily accessible and/or diverse bio-data repositories, and the lack of bi-directional, culturally competent communication with Special and Underserved populations were detrimental to the CTSA hubs' mission of delivering scientific solutions to all, going beyond the narrow scope of clinical trials, and advancing the CTSAs' leadership role for more equitable healthcare [50,32].…”

A landscape assessment of CTSA evaluators and their work in the CTSA consortium, 2021 survey findings

“…This percentage was consistent across all sizes and age categories. This was an important number given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of activities and another testimonial published concerning the adaptive capacity of the group [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”