Bridging Research and Community: Insights from a DMV CEAL Regional Team Researcher

Samuel Byiringiro Ph.D., M.S., R.N. is a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, where his training has focused on increasing diversity in clinical trials. He currently serves as a researcher on the DMV CEAL Regional Team (CEAL DMV) and will present findings about community perspectives on recruitment and engagement in clinical research at the upcoming American Public Health Association (APHA) conference. In this interview, Dr. Byiringiro discussed this research and the importance of including community in the research process. 

What is the objective of this research? 

We wanted to understand what the barriers are for underrepresented populations to participate in clinical research and to come up with actionable recommendations about how we can engage them more. We recruited people from within our community here in Baltimore and prioritized populations that are frequently underrepresented in research, including Black and Latino communities. We gathered feedback from them about barriers to participation in research and recommendations on what we, as researchers, can do to engage them more.

How does CEAL DMV ensure that community voices are heard and integrated into the research?

We have community members who are part of the Community Research Council, and we seek feedback from them on every activity that we're conducting. They inform not only the design of the project, but also the recruitment and review of all materials that goes out to the community during recruitment. They make sure that materials are culturally appropriate to the people who will be looking at them.

We also have community health workers who are part of CEAL DMV, and they serve on the Executive Committee. They participate in our weekly planning meetings and their voices are equally influential and help give direction to our projects. 

We work with community partners to make sure that there is equal leadership, respect, and transparent communication with researchers.  We want to make sure that we are addressing the problems that are voiced by the community and that what we are doing is important to them.  

Why is it important for public health researchers to build trust with community members?

Building trust in research within the community will help address equal representation in research. One of the barriers to participation in research by underrepresented populations is the lack of trust, especially given the history of some previous research studies that took advantage of underrepresented groups. If we rebuild trust, there will be a higher willingness from the members of those communities to participate in research. If they're willing to participate, then there will be equal representation that will translate into higher external validity.

Researchers must uphold their end of the bargain to treat the community fairly and make sure that they are presenting opportunities to the community members who are eligible to participate. 

What are you looking forward to at the APHA conference?  

This is going to be my third time attending APHA. The first thing I'm looking forward to is the opportunity to talk to other people interested in building trust in research within communities. The second thing is to learn about ongoing strategies for trust building within other institutions across the United States and the world. This will also be my first time in Minneapolis, so I look forward to exploring it.

Attend the CEAL DMV presentation, "You're just wasting your time, without building relationships.": Community perspectives on recruitment and engagement in clinical research on Wednesday, October 30, from 11:00 – 11:15 am at APHA.

View more upcoming CEAL presentations at APHA