The goal of the Community Health Scholars program (CHSP) is to increase the number of faculty at health professional schools, with an emphasis on schools of public health, who possess the capacity to carry out community-based participatory research* and teaching and who understand determinants of community health and how to build the capacity of communities, health-related agencies and academic centers to function as equal partners in community-based research, service and education. * Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) in health is a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings. CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community and has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities.
Definition developed and adopted by the Community Health Scholars Program based upon Isrel BA, Schulz AJ, Parker E, Becker AB in "Review of Community-Based Research: Assessing Partnership Approaches to Improve Public Health, Ann. Rev. Public Health. 1998. 19:173-202. It is expected that all scholars entering this Program have attained some level of expertise in at least some of the following competencies. The aim of this two-year fellowship is to further develop and strengthen these competencies through the placement of scholars at one of the program’s three training sites and by providing experienced faculty, partnerships with community-based organizations and health-related agencies, and a structured post-doctoral program. The intent of the program is to ensure that all scholars have achieved competency in each stated area and that competencies in all areas have been improved during the course of the Program. These competencies include: - Understanding the values and mission of community-based public health.
- Understanding social determinants of health (economic, social, behavioral, political, environmental) and developing skills and commitment for fostering community and social change.
- Knowledge of and skills in applying the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) (e.g. community governance, equitable participation at all levels, local relevance of public health problems, dissemination of findings, trust building, benefits to community involved) including the principles, theoretical frameworks, models and methods of planning, implementing and evaluating CBPR.
- Ability to transfer CBPH skills to the community, thereby enhancing community capacity, and ability to share CBPH skills with other faculty.
- Ability to work effectively in and with diverse communities.
- Understanding of the policy implications of CBPR and ability to work with communities in translating the process and findings of CBPR into policy.
- Ability to balance tasks in academia (research, teaching, service) posing special challenges to those engaged in CBPR in order to thrive in an academic environment.
- Ability to write grants expressing CBPR principles.
- Knowledge of community-based teaching and learning approaches.
- Ability to negotiate across community-academic groups.
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