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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jan K. Carney, MD MPH, Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine, 371 Pearl St., Burlington, VT 05403, 8028478268, jan.carney@uvm.edu

We describe an ethical framework to ensure accountability, enhance participation by community agencies, and focus research goals to improve health, in conducting community-based participatory research. In the Vermont Integrated Curriculum (VIC) at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, all medical students, working in groups, conduct public health projects in local community settings. Projects are community driven, encompass Health People 2010 focus areas, address a research question, and demonstrate health benefits to the community. Final course requirements include a paper and poster session attended by students, faculty, and community agencies. All projects are research as defined by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Unique challenges are faced when conducting research in such settings. Busy community agencies require practical methods to involve key personnel. Community populations with public health needs may include, children, pregnant women, individuals in state custody, all populations requiring more intensive review by the IRB. Refugee populations and individuals with limited literacy require special attention to the clarity of informed consent procedures. Survey designs must reflect literacy levels of populations surveyed. University research protections offices must become familiar with such research endeavors. A framework for research ethics in building successful community-academic partnerships encompasses: proactive consideration of IRB requirements, sharing research goals with research protections offices, inviting agency representatives to participate in the research process, educating students, faculty, and community agencies about research protections through electronic tutorials, clarity of informed consent methods and surveys, detailed follow up of IRB requirements, and focusing research questions on improving community health.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will recognize challenges in designing and implementing community-academic research projects
• Participants will be be able to describe practical strategies to conduct research in partnership with commuity agencies
• Participants will be able to apply the ethical framework to research in other community settings.

Keywords: Ethics, Community Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

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