The Center of Excellence in Community Based Research (CE:CBR) is a part of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities dedicated to research and furthers The Charities’ mission of advancing community health: Body, Mind, and Spirit. The Center is dedicated to excellence in community-based participatory research practices by putting into action the Charities’ operating values: Informed Action, Collaboration and Empowerment through community participation, innovative research, and community training.

Background
The increased attention of national and local health funders to unresolved health disparities, along with the limited participation of underserved communities in research protocols, have lead to new participatory requirements in community-based research requests for proposals. Founded on the community-based research expertise of The Charities, the CE:CBR’s primary goal is facilitating the development of equal partnerships between the community and academic researchers who are seeking funding for their work in eliminating health disparities. The partnerships are based in equal participation through collaboration at every level from planning to application, data collection, implementation, analysis, dissemination of knowledge and evaluation. Traditionally, research has not engaged communities in these processes.

Programs and Projects
The Center currently comprises three primary components and three active programs involving aspects of community-based health research focused on underserved communities. The components are:

Common Ground Academy

Scholar in Residence and Pre-Doctoral Fellowships

Grant Seeking Collaboratives

The programs listed below are managed by the CE:CBR, but represent the work of HNI and other Charities. Healthy Neighborhood Initiatives (HNI) is most closely allied with the Center, as it utilizes community based participatory research and involves community residents in its work to advance community health. Programs are:

Aging Concerns

Immigrant Health

Community Health and the Arts

Planned Projects
The Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, and St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities will establish a Mental Health Fellowship Program. The vision of this program is to design and implement a sustainable community-based prevention and early intervention program by engaging the faith-based community to address the mental health needs of underserved children and families in a diverse Houston-area community.

Details about this unique fellowship are currently under development and will be posted on this website as they are finalized.

Resources
The CE:CBR benefits from resources of SLEHC which include:

• Web-based information on community health and well-being
• Community-based and participatory research experience
• Expertise in adult education and training
• Working partnerships with academic and community-based organizations
• Consulting experience
• Expertise in grant writing, management and evaluations
• A rich experience in facilitating and working in collaboration with community organizations, community residents, and policy development leaders.
• Leading collaboratives that identify community-wide health concerns and prioritize and address these concerns through empowering community participation, amplifying community voice and representation
• Leading funding collaboratives’ initiatives that benefit community health.

For information contact:
Kimberly Kay Lopez, Dr.PH, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Community Health Practice, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities. Email: klopez@sleh.com

CE Products

Abstracts

Conference Presentations

Community Presentations

Healthy Neighborhood Initiatives

Published Papers

News Briefs

Reprint Information