Learning from Community-Academic Partnership Success Stories

An essential element of community-engaged research is the inclusion of local people —those who could benefit from or be affected by the research. To do this effectively, academic and research institutions must first lay a firm foundation of cooperation and trust in their communities. They can do this by developing partnerships to address immediate and community-identified needs and build relationships that set the institution and the community up for success in future community-engaged research projects. 

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) knows something about this. The school was founded more than 50 years ago to help fill the need for doctors in West Virginia’s rural communities. Continuing in its mission to serve the state’s rural residents, WVSOM founded the Center for Rural and Community Health (CRCH) in 2010 with the mission to “empower communities to reach their highest level of health and wellness through evidence-based community-engaged outreach, education and research.” 

WVSOM CRCH has amassed invaluable experience in building partnerships with communities. They have a story to tell —many stories, in fact — about how to connect and engage with communities by allocating resources to address community needs, building relationships over time, and showing support for community-led projects before making requests. 

“When we heard stories from WVSOM’s CRCH, we knew there were great examples to lift up and share nationally,” said Mylynda Massart, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh and co-MPI of the Community Engagement Alliance Consultative Resource (CEACR). “Sharing examples of things being done so beautifully is a gift we can give to folks who are new to community engagement and looking for models of how to do it well.”

Working with WVSOM, CEACR has produced a fact sheet based on two case studies that illustrates community-centered practices for growing and sustaining the community partnerships that form the foundation for effective community-engaged research. 

For example, in 2016, a series of thunderstorms dumped more than seven inches of rain in Central and Southeastern West Virginia, damaging buildings and homes and leaving thousands displaced, including many in Greenbrier County, where WVSOM is located. A taskforce assembled to organize disaster relief. The WVSOM CRCH hosted meetings and helped connect staff and volunteers to resources and community-based organizations.

The WVSOM CRCH also formed a nonprofit organization, the Greenbrier County Health Alliance, and developed the Community Ambassador Program to channel small grants to locally led health improvement efforts. One example of these efforts is Carrot Club, which takes place weekly at a seasonal farmers market in Alderson, WV. Children enjoy a fun physical activity, taste local produce, and get $4 in “Carrot Club dollars” to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. 

“Spreading the word about these programs fits perfectly with CEACR’s mission to promote best practices in community-engaged research,” said Emily Finley, M.P.H., engagement lead for Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, which partners with the University of Pittsburgh to co-lead CEACR. “This [new fact sheet] provides rapid expert recommendations on frequently asked engagement topics — based on how this work is actually done in real life.”

Through this new CEACR fact sheet, researchers preparing for community-engaged research projects can access key takeaways from WVSOM’s experience and use them to chart their own course to effective community-engaged research.

Access the “Growing and Sustaining Community Partnerships: A Use Case” fact sheet 

Watch a presentation of the CEACR-WVSOM collaboration 

Learn more about CEACR