Katherine Corbit, Detroit URC research intern and U-M Master's Student in Health Behavior and Health Education, recently published an article in the U-M School of Public Health on-line magazine, "The Pursuit".

Fostering Health Equity through Community-Based Participatory Research

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a well-established research approach that emphasizes equity by utilizing organizing principles and integrating community within every aspect of the research process.1 This holistic approach to research recognizes the power of community participation.1 On the surface, research based in the community may not seem that different from CBPR. However, the level of engagement of community within the research process is where traditional research and CBPR differ. Whereas traditional research views a community as a place to conduct research “in,” CBPR views community as a unit of identity to conduct research “with” beyond just the recruitment or feedback phase.2,3 The principles of CBPR are based within the premise of co-learning where both community and academic partners’ strengths and capacity needs are acknowledged.2 Through this approach, the hierarchy of knowledge that prioritizes academics over community is replaced instead with knowledge democracy, which values each partner.4Since community and academic partners are both equally respected, the overall goal of CBPR research is focused on shared values and mutual benefits for all partners.

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