Bridging Research and Community: Insights From the CEAL CBO Community of Practice Co-Chairs

February 20, 2025

Adlaide Holloway, B.S., and Donald Young, CHW, are Community Health Workers (CHWs) and co-chairs of CEAL’s new Community-Based Organization Community of Practice (CBO CoP). They presented on the involvement of CHWs in community-engaged research and its evolution over the first three years of CEAL at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting last October. In this interview, Holloway and Young highlight the integral role of CHWs in intervention research studies to address chronic diseases and social determinants of health.

What key points did you discuss during your presentation at the APHA conference?

Holloway: Attendees learned about the various CEAL research teams that collaborated with CBOs, highlighting that 17 of 21 CEAL Regional Teams had CHW-related programming. This reflects the influence of CHWs on community engagement and connection.

Young: A key point I discussed during the presentation was the importance of CBOs as the backbone of research. A large part of CEAL’s success was due to well-planned collaborations with grassroots CBOs that helped increase trust with communities. Trust was built by employing community members with lived experience.

What unique qualities do CHWs bring to the CEAL teams that make them effective in their roles?

Young: One of the most unique qualities CHWs bring is authenticity. I became involved in the research field in 2016 after losing my mother to a fentanyl overdose. I was applauded and made to feel accepted because of my authenticity and transparency. Another unique quality is the power of the lived experience. If someone has been where I’ve been, they are more likely to understand the depth of my praise. Leveraging the lived experience is pivotal in leading communities to healthier lifestyle choices.

Holloway: CHWs harness their unique position as trusted messengers between communities and the health care system by identifying the root causes of health disparities and offering invaluable social insights to drive meaningful, community-centered solutions. CHWs invest in developing a deep understanding of the health care landscape. CHWs are often part of the communities they’re serving and advocate for more access to care, ensuring that the voices and needs of those who require access to the health care system are heard and addressed.

How can CBOs and researchers support CHWs throughout the research process?

Holloway: Include CHWs by seeking their insight on research development to update any outdated practices and perpetuation of stereotypes or biases and on meaningful ways to share information. CBOs and researchers must work together throughout the process and acknowledge the importance of CHWs in quality research and service.

Young: Continue to support CHWs even after the grant has ended. As CHWs, we only know what we know. If you know of opportunities to grow in our profession, please allow us those opportunities without fear of retribution.

What are the most significant outcomes you have observed from CHW-related projects?

Holloway: Projects led by CHWs are the most effective in creating positive, long-term success for providing community resources, information, and access to services. It has been shown, especially within CEAL, that CHW-related projects can have a balance of scientific rigor and real-world application. CHWs have demonstrated that they can review and support informed consent, gather and store HIPAA-compliant data, and support the advancement of research or program evaluation.

Young: One of the most effective outcomes I’ve observed was the implementation of CHWs in the training and deployment of Community Health Educators who were public health students from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for a CEAL survey that examined a range of knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral measures.

What did you enjoy about attending the APHA conference?

Young: I enjoyed being a part of telling the story of academic research in a way that could be digested by my community and in a way that declared to the academic researcher the fierce urgency of now. Now is the time to build upon what we learned over the last few years. Its foundation is firm. I can say that with certainty because I work in braided collaboration with CBOs.

Holloway: I am proud and grateful that we were able to share our experience and involvement as CHWs and community leaders in intentional partnerships and relationships with academic researchers from a national institution on an international platform like APHA. I realize the establishment of the CBO CoP to be a monumental moment in redefining the idea of health care and research.