Support for community engaged research

The CTSI Community Engaged Research Initiative (CERI) facilitates equitable, authentic, and robust community-engaged research to improve health. Would you like to participate in CERI’s programs, schedule a consultation, or just have a question? Request a service. 

How do we support the Duke research community?

By building capacity

We build research-ready communities and community-ready researchers.

By facilitating connections

 We facilitate meaningful and equitable partnerships and collaborations between community stakeholders and academic investigators.

By fostering authentic communications 

We foster transparent, bidirectional communication between community stakeholders and academic investigators.

CTSI recognizes that collaborating with the community in research is the foundation of improving public health. The goals of community engagement are to increase public trust in the research enterprise and to improve overall public health.

Community Engagement Programs & Services

Would you like to participate in CERI’s programs, schedule a consultation, or just have a question? Request a service. 

African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Health Equity Advocates & Liaisons (HEAL) Partnership

CERI works closely with a group of AME Zion faith leaders who are trained research advisors that may be able to help you to gain further insight on developing community-engaged research projects.

Consultation services

Assess and enhance stakeholder’s readiness to successfully partner in community-engaged research. This program has a robust evaluation component to track, modify, and measure program activities and outcomes.

Population Health Improvement Awards

Identify and promote the most promising collaborations toward the development of a research question, and provide support to establish pilot data for community-partnered fundable proposals. Learn more about the awards.

E-library for community and research resources

Provides training, videos, and other evidence-based capacity-building tools for research teams and community partners to equitably and fully engage in community engaged research. Visit the eLibrary.

Sparks program

Brings together researchers, community groups, patients, and other stakeholders who work on the same health issue from different approaches across the translational spectrum to spark new and innovative ideas for community-engaged research projects.

Community Consultation Studio (CCS)

Community Consultation Studios promote and support people-centered, community-engaged health research at Duke. Community Engagement Advisors (CEAs) are members of our communities who bring their own life experiences to the research process, working with study teams to improve the way health research is done at Duke.