Community-based Organizations Build on NIH CEAL’s Success at Community of Practice Kickoff Meeting

The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on the public health importance of creating and building partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) and with trusted messengers within communities. The National Institutes of Health Community Engagement Alliance (NIH CEAL) is a prime example of this. Formed in September 2020, NIH CEAL collaborated with CBOs and other partners to build trust in science and improve health knowledge by including communities in the research process and working with trusted messengers who understand communities’ concerns.

As CEAL shifts focus to other health disparities, it seeks to build on the experience and structures developed during the pandemic to address priority areas such as maternal health, climate and health, and health knowledge. To that end, on Friday November 15, 2024, more than 30 community partners gathered for the first meeting of the NIH CEAL Community-Based Organization (CBO) Community of Practice (CoP).  During the interactive virtual session, Adlaide Holloway, B.S. and Donald Young, CHW, co-leads, explained the goals and activities of the CBO CoP. 

The CEAL CBO CoP seeks to advance and strengthen partnerships among CEAL CBOs, their community engaged research counterparts, and the National Institutes of Health. Regular meetings and activities will foster a diverse and inclusive network dedicated to building lasting partnerships and promoting collaborative involvement in community-engaged research initiatives. Community-centered discussions, co-learning activities, and information exchange will strengthen partnerships between CEAL CBOs and CEAL programs. 

The CEAL CBO CoP also aims to acknowledge, recognize, and bring attention to the ways CBOs contribute to community-engaged research, Holloway explained. “We recognize there is a need for a dedicated space for community partners to truly see and collaborate with each other,” she said. “We need to support each other as we support our communities to enhance their health.”

The kick-off meeting started off with a celebration of efforts during and after the pandemic to increase community engagement in research efforts. “The pandemic, although a difficult time for communities, also allowed communities to be seen,” said Al Richmond, executive director of Community-Campus Partnerships (CCPH) for Health, Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) of the NC CEAL Regional Team and CEAL Consultative Resource (CEACR). “Resources were made available to communities like never before, helping community partners make a big impact on community health.” Richmond and his colleague Paige Castro-Reyes, deputy director for CCPH, led a discussion about how to sustain this momentum into the future.

“The CEAL CBO CoP is a wonderful space for communities, researchers and federal agencies to work collaboratively together,” said Jonathan (Tana) Lepule, Chair, Pacific Islander Collective San Diego.  “I am looking forward to uplifting the efforts of the hardly reached communities like the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.”

“The pandemic showed us that CBOs are crucial to community health,” said Young. “This CoP offers opportunities to enhance the expertise and capacity of CEAL CBO partners in a safe and collaborative environment.”

The CEAL CBO CoP will hold regular meetings to collaborate and share best practices to advance knowledge and skills. CEAL community partners interested in joining the CEAL CBO CoP can contact Joy Thomas, joythomas@westat.com.