Community-Based Participatory Research

Description

Too often, research is done on communities rather than with them—perpetuating power imbalances and overlooking the knowledge and priorities of those most affected by health challenges. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR): Advancing Equity Through Community Partnerships introduces CBPR as a transformative, equity-driven approach that empowers communities to shape research agendas and co-create solutions for social change. This course was developed in partnership with the University of Washington’s Global Cardiovascular Health Program.

Through powerful examples from across the globe, participants will explore how CBPR addresses systemic inequities, health services access, quality of care, and health outcomes. The course provides practical tools to build trust, share power, and design research in true partnership with communities.

By the end of the course, participants will gain the skills to develop a CBPR proposal focused on a pressing health issue—equipping them to drive meaningful, community-centered change in their own contexts.

You can also download the course syllabus.

Instructors

Keshet Ronen, PhD, MPH
University of Washington

Keshet is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health and Director of the MPH Program in Global Health. Her primary research interest is development and evaluation of interventions to promote health equity in underserved and marginalized populations locally and globally. She is interested in perinatal health, lay service delivery, digital health, immigrant health, and the health of gender and sexual minorities. Keshet is passionate about social justice, mentoring, and supporting communities’ leadership in developing strategies to improve their own health.

Lisa M. Vaughn, PhD, MA, Med
Qualitative Methods and Analysis Collaborative
University of Cincinnati

University of Cincinnati Educational & Community-Based Action Research PhD Program

Lisa is a formally trained social psychologist with more than 25 years of experience in applied social science research and community engagement. Her broad research interests include community-based participatory research (CBPR), improving healthcare among Latino and other immigrant families, stress and resilience associated with social and cultural determinants of health and well-being, and qualitative and participatory research methodologies that can be applied in clinical settings, such as the emergency department. These methods include group-level assessment, concept mapping and photovoice. She seeks to understand health disparities among immigrant and minority families, and vulnerable youth, to increase health equity. She also focuses on understanding and utilizing patient and family perspectives and collaboration to improve healthcare and public health issues.

Angela G. Spencer, PhD, MBA
University of Washington

Angela is a Research Scientist with the Global Cardiovascular Health Program at the University of Washington Department of Global Health, School of Medicine. She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the United States. Dr. Spencer uses multiple methods to implement and scale up evidence-based practices in community and healthcare settings. Over the past decade, she co-designed and collaborated on community-based research to control infectious disease in rural Northern Peru. Dr. Spencer currently contributes to several scientific studies as part of the ReciPROcal Innovations to Improve Cardiovascular CARE in Rural America research network. She is Principal Investigator for the Advancing Community Outreach, Research, and Native Solutions (ACORNS) for Healthy Hearts project, which is focused on improving access to cardiology care for American Indians and Alaska Natives living in rural areas. Her research applies methods from implementation science, social network analysis, human-centered design, and participatory research to improve community health.

Student Support

If you have any questions, please reach out to edgh@uw.edu. Our dedicated and knowledgeable staff are ready to assist you promptly.

Course Announcements for System Issues

If you experience broken links or system-wide problems (e.g., videos not playing), please check the course Announcements first. The eDGH support team will post updates and fixes there.

Course Learning Objectives

The goal of this course is to equip you with the knowledge and critical perspective needed to challenge existing global health paradigms and envision equity-centered, sustainable solutions.

Participants completing the course at the highest level of achievement should be able to:

  • Define CBPR and explain the rationale for CBPR approaches in health research.
  • Describe the benefits and challenges of a CBPR approach to addressing health inequities and working with marginalized populations.
  • Describe the steps involved in forming, maintaining, sustaining, and evaluating a CBPR partnership.
  • Use participatory methods of facilitation, data collection and data analysis within CBPR.
  • Analyze issues related to dissemination of CBPR findings and moving to action.

Target Audience

This course is designed for individuals interested in learning more about CBPR, as well as those involved in designing, conducting, or reviewing community-engaged research projects. It is ideal for researchers, public health professionals, program managers, and community partners who want to strengthen their ability to co-create research that addresses health disparities, access to care, disease prevention, or environmental health challenges.

Professionals from NGOs, academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and community-based groups will benefit from this course. No prior research experience is required, but participants should have an interest in collaborative, community-driven approaches to global and local health issues.

Format

This is a self-paced, online modular course divided into 10 weeks. It will be delivered entirely online. 

Participants are expected to review the pre-recorded weekly lectures, complete assigned readings and activities, and participate in discussion via the discussion forums. Most participants will also meet with a local study group that is led by a site facilitator. This is meant to increase opportunities for discussion about the relevance of the material to the local setting.

If you have any questions, please look at the course FAQ. If your question isn't answered there, please email edgh@uw.edu.

Materials

All reading materials for this course are provided in PDF form or by linking to online sources.

Grading

To be successful in the course, you will need to complete all learning activities listed.

Activity Percentage
Discussion forums  (2 points each, 5 total) 10%
Quizzes (4 points each, 10 total) 40%
Assignments (50 points) 50%
Total 100%

Submitting Assignments

All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through Moodle. Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline.

Viewing Grades in Moodle

Points you receive for graded activities will be posted to the Moodle Grade Book.

Quizzes will be graded upon submission. Grades are posted by the end of the day Monday after an assignment is due. If you submit your assignment late (after the due date), please allow at least 24 hours for your grade to be updated. We do not update late submission grades over the weekend.  Participants have access to their course for a defined period, which includes a four-week period after the course ends. During this time, scores on graded activities can be viewed and downloaded from within the course platform. After access ends, grades are no longer available and cannot be retrieved.

Please note:

  • eDGH does not retain or provide grade reports after course access ends.
  • eDGH does not issue academic transcripts.
  • Certificates of completion serve as the official record of participation and include CEUs (Continuing Education Units) earned.

We recommend downloading your grades during the course or shortly after it ends if you wish to retain a personal copy.

Assignments

Quizzes

Quizzes will open when the module opens. You will have 2 attempts on each quiz. The learning management system will record your highest score. 

Note, there is no final exam.

Discussion Forums

Your participation in the discussion forums is critical for maximizing your learning experiences in this course. Please refer to the information on posting to discussion forums to read about expectations for posting. 

Assignments

The written assignments will be described in Moodle on the assignment pages.

Certificate of Completion

Active participation is required in order to receive a Certificate of Completion for the course. To receive a Certificate of Completion from the University of Washington, USA, you must pass the course, which means getting a final score of 70% or higher on all graded activities. Certificates will be distributed digitally after completion requirements have been verified. 

If you are a site participant, you must earn a qualifying score and attend 3 of the site meetings your site will hold. Attendance at more, if offered, is encouraged but not required to meet the site participation requirement. After the course, site participant certificates will be sent to site coordinators for distribution.

Late Work Policy

We will NOT accept assignments submitted by email or posted in discussion forums. Additionally, no assignments will be accepted after the course has ended. 

Commitment to Academic Integrity

Commit to Integrity

As a participant in this course, you are expected to maintain high degrees of professionalism, commitment to active learning and participation in this class and also integrity in your behavior in and out of the classroom.

Definitions

“Plagiarism is defined as the use of the words, ideas, diagrams, etc., of publicly available work without appropriately acknowledging the sources of these materials. This definition constitutes plagiarism whether it is intentional or unintentional and whether it is the work of another or your own, previously published work. Plagiarism is a very serious offense that the University of Washington's eDGH Program does not tolerate.”

Enforcement

Corroborated reports of plagiarism, cheating, or other misconduct will result in no credit on that assignment and may result in suspension from the course and ban from participation in future courses.

Library Resources

The University of Washington offers a comprehensive collection of resources for continuing education participants, providing access to valuable research materials, academic databases, and global health tools. These resources can help expand knowledge, support research, and facilitate lifelong learning.

  • Unpaywall: A free, legal browser extension that helps you find open-access versions of research articles. If an article is behind a paywall, Unpaywall searches for an openly available copy in institutional repositories or preprint servers.
  • PubMed Central (PMC): A free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences literature from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). PMC provides unrestricted access to millions of peer-reviewed articles.
  • PubMed: A widely used search engine for scientific and medical research. To access free articles, use the "Free full text" filter on the left-hand side of the search results page.
  • Global Health Toolkit: A UW curated collection of global health resources. Articles and tools without a lock icon are freely accessible to the public, making it a valuable reference for global health professionals and researchers.

Use of AI Tools in This Course

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Bard) can be useful for tasks such as clarifying complex concepts or refining your writing for better readability. You are welcome to use AI in these ways to support your learning.

However, using AI to generate or significantly revise responses for course assignments, activities, or discussion posts is not permitted and constitutes academic misconduct. Copying and pasting AI-generated content or feeding assignment prompts into AI tools is not allowed. These practices undermine your learning, as this course is designed to help you develop your own skills and express your own ideas.

Grammar, spelling, and phrasing will not be graded in this course; the focus is on the clarity and depth of your ideas rather than perfect language.

Keep in mind that AI-generated content can contain factual inaccuracies or misinterpretations, particularly in complex scientific discussions. Always verify information before using it. If you have any questions about the appropriate use of AI in this course, please reach out for clarification.

Watch this video for more information and resources.

Disability Accommodations

Your experience in this class is important to the teaching team. As per the policy and practice of the University of Washington, we are committed to creating inclusive and accessible learning environments in accordance with federal and state law.

If you require accommodations for a disability or have specific accessibility needs, please contact edgh@uw.edu to discuss your requirements.

We are dedicated to working with you to ensure that you have equal access to all aspects of the course and to providing reasonable accommodations as needed. We value your feedback on the accessibility of this class. If you encounter any barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please reach out to us.

Religious Accommodations

eDGH uses the UW's policy on religious accommodations for participants who need to make special arrangements in meeting course deadlines due to reasons of faith or conscience or for religious activities. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course by contacting edgh@uw.edu.

Copyright Statement

All content associated with this course is copyrighted. This includes the syllabus, assignments, reading lists, and lectures, as well as any material generated by your fellow students. Within the constraints of "fair use", you may copy these materials for your personal use in support of your education. For example, you may download materials to your computer for study, but you may not copy the materials and distribute or upload to a website. Such “fair use” by you does not include further distribution by any means of copying, performance or presentation beyond the circle of your close acquaintances, student colleagues in this class and your family. If you have any questions regarding any use violates the creator's copyright interests, please feel free to email edgh@uw.edu.