“Sense of Belonging”: Partnering with Central Oregon's Communities to Promote Health and Social Inclusion
Presenter Biography
Community Health doctoral student and graduate research assistant at OHSU's Community Research Hub in Bend.
Institution
OHSU
Program/Major
Community Health
Degree
PhD
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-4-2024 11:38 AM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Keywords
Community engaged research, community partnering, belonging, Central Oregon
Abstract
Abstract:
Community-engaged research can increase local research capacity and create momentum for social change. From research planning to dissemination, partnering with organizations and engaging with community members requires dedicated work and time. Using the Belonging project in Central Oregon as an example, we outline the ‘nuts and bolts’ of a community-engaged research process and highlight how we validated our findings through co-interpretation sessions.
Project
The Belonging project is a collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Oregon State University - Cascades, the Central Oregon Health Council, and the Central Oregon communities. The project began [early] 2022 and concluded Feb 2024.
Process
Utilizing OHSU’s Research Liaison Model, we partnered with over 20 individuals from local organizations and interest groups to conceptualize the meaning of ‘Belonging’ to different demographic groups. Applying their definitions and acting on their outreach recommendations, we developed and conducted a survey and seven focus groups to assess the places/spaces contributing to Central Oregonians’ sense of belonging and the identities that facilitate or hinder a sense of belonging. After data collection, we collaborated with community partners and members from the study’s priority populations on five co-interpretation sessions. In these sessions we sought to co-create meaning from the data and validate our findings. The final learnings and recommendations were disseminated as short “reports” focused on community-identified key findings.
Public health Impact
Research activities that elevate community-driven knowledge generation can align public health agendas with community-identified priorities and create buy-in in the early stages of research and intervention planning.
“Sense of Belonging”: Partnering with Central Oregon's Communities to Promote Health and Social Inclusion
Abstract:
Community-engaged research can increase local research capacity and create momentum for social change. From research planning to dissemination, partnering with organizations and engaging with community members requires dedicated work and time. Using the Belonging project in Central Oregon as an example, we outline the ‘nuts and bolts’ of a community-engaged research process and highlight how we validated our findings through co-interpretation sessions.
Project
The Belonging project is a collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Oregon State University - Cascades, the Central Oregon Health Council, and the Central Oregon communities. The project began [early] 2022 and concluded Feb 2024.
Process
Utilizing OHSU’s Research Liaison Model, we partnered with over 20 individuals from local organizations and interest groups to conceptualize the meaning of ‘Belonging’ to different demographic groups. Applying their definitions and acting on their outreach recommendations, we developed and conducted a survey and seven focus groups to assess the places/spaces contributing to Central Oregonians’ sense of belonging and the identities that facilitate or hinder a sense of belonging. After data collection, we collaborated with community partners and members from the study’s priority populations on five co-interpretation sessions. In these sessions we sought to co-create meaning from the data and validate our findings. The final learnings and recommendations were disseminated as short “reports” focused on community-identified key findings.
Public health Impact
Research activities that elevate community-driven knowledge generation can align public health agendas with community-identified priorities and create buy-in in the early stages of research and intervention planning.