Community Engagement and Research related to C. difficile. Sharon A. Croisant, MS, PhD, Co-Director

Transcription

1 Community Engagement and Research related to C. difficile Sharon A. Croisant, MS, PhD, Co-Director

2 Changing the Paradigm The role of the Community Engagement and Research Key Resource in facilitating translational research Who are we and what we look like Support services we traditionally provide to researchers Site-specific methods for community engagement Transformation: Partnering with C. difficile MTT Changing the culture of research within our MTT, our KR, and at the institution Where are we on this journey, where are we going next, and how do we intend to get there?

3 Mission Our mission is to translate science and medicine for the communities we serve through establishment of bidirectional communications between and among scientists, clinicians, trainees, and the public to foster the exchange of information and development of community-engaged research.

4 ITS Community Engagement KR Liaise with ITS Key Resources, MTTs, and investigators from other UTMB research Centers and Institutes to promote and establish community-engaged research. Educate stakeholders in Community Engagement and CBPR principles and strategies to foster community-campus partnerships in research. Develop translational community interface(s) that foster relationship-based bidirectional communication between researchers and local and regional stakeholders. Establish and maintain strong trans-texas and trans-national collaborations with other CTSA Community Engagement Key Resources.

5 Ultimate Goals: Culture change occurs on how clinical research is conducted Community is full partner in all research that occurs in community

6 The Team Co-Director: Sharon Croisant, MS, PhD Co-Director: Elnora Mendias, RN, PhD Practice-based Research Network: Steven Shelton, MBA, PA-C Community Liaison: John Sullivan, MA Cheryl Juneau, RN, DrPH Program Manager for CTSA/GC-HARMS: Michele Cravey Collaborators: CET Educational Outreach Director: Lauren Scott, MSW ITS Bioethics Support KR: Michele Carter, PhD & Bernadette McKinney, JD, PhD CEHD: Alexandra B. Nolen, PhD, MPH & John Prochaska, DrPH

7 Standard Services Provided by KR Liaise with scientists from Institute for Translational Sciences MTTs Provide assistance with grants Provide assistance with design of population-based research studies Provide opportunities for engagement with stakeholders Provide education & development in Community Engagement and Community-Based Participatory Research Partner with local, regional, & statewide stakeholders to improve quality of human health Disseminate best practices

8 Our Process Bidirectional and recursive process involving scientists and community members: Engagement of our Stakeholders to identify/prioritize issues (ex., SCI Café/Kitchen) Focused discussions on topics of interest through Encuentros (for purpose of networking and information exchange) Development of research projects through Community Science Workshops Interpretation & dissemination of results Action (policy, intervention, education)

9 Where Science and Communities Interact: SCI Café & SCI Kitchen And the survey says... Diet & Nutrition Mental Health Aging Women s Health Obesity Infectious Diseases Sustainable Living Healthy Homes Ethical Issues Facing the Community Alternative Medicine

10 The times, they are a changin

11 Transforming Research Culture: C. difficile Multidisciplinary Translational Team New research indicates many cases are community acquired Dearth of literature/information for practitioners and public due to lack of research focused on community-acquired disease Most current research not typically translated for relevant populations Common elements of community and research objectives not clearly defined Little infrastructure for communication among science, outreach/education, and advocacy, especially in absence of sustained support Even scientific collaborations vulnerable to loss of funding

12 Evolution? Revolution? It s in the translation. Meaningful dialogue revealed a need for: Exploring development of disease-based network to foster a team approach to advancing science regionally and nationally Carrying out population-based research to identify risk factors for community-acquired disease Identifying best practices for exposure prevention Developing outreach and education materials for dissemination Conducting community assessments and interventions Engaging advocacy groups to facilitate timely and accurate flow of information

13 Where are we now? Here! Meeting in Galveston to bring together national research network focused on C. difficile Our MTT re-organzed under Clinton White, MD, Director of Infectious Diseases, to include basic scientists, clinicians, clinical trial specialist, epidemiologists, & public health practitioners thus expanding from T1-T2 approach to T1 to T4 approach Planning two population-based studies: Retrospective review of available databases to include UTMB with potential expansion to other Texas and/or national CTSAs interested in collaborating Prospective study of patients treated in UTMB inpatient and outpatient settings

14 Where do we need to go, and how do we get there? Dearth of cases necessitates sharing of data Development of shared protocols for collection of pertinent patient information Establish the research and communications infrastructures Establish working relationships with entities such as the Lillis Foundation Who should and must be at the table: CTSAs and other major research Centers Primary health networks, e.g., VA Federal agencies, e.g., NIH & CDC Public

15 Discussion?