Teeming with opportunities: Creating partnerships with researchers and community

1. Teeming with opportunities: Creating partnerships with researchers and community Maria Mathews, PhD Division of Community Health & Humanities Faculty of Medicine

2. “Dr Matthews’ [sic] recommendations are neither new nor novel...it is important that researchers explore the current situation so that recommendations can be more meaningful and valuable” Bertha Paulse, NCTRF

3. Partnership with CCS led to… • January 10, 2006: Changes to Medical Transportation Assistance Program • June 11, 2007: Enhancements Made to Medical Transportation Assistance Program

4. Objectives • Discuss strategies for working with community partners • Improve nature of partnership • Increase likelihood of findings being used • Avoid pitfalls

5. Build long-lasting relationships • Long-term commitment • Ongoing meetings beyond single project • Multiple interactions • Involvement in standing events • Plan for turnover in decision makers • Build relationship with organization, not individual

6. Identify research questions • Partners may not ask research questions • Identify nagging issues • Identify problems that need to be addressed 1+ years from now • Ask • What does partner need to know? • Identify outcomes of importance • What perspectives should be taken into account? • Identify others to involve/consult • What is the context of the decision making? • Identify other relevant issues • Develop fundable projects • Develop publishable projects

7. Pick the right partners • Involve all relevant partners • Ask: “Who will comment on my findings?” • “It is more difficult to reject, discount, or ignore research results when one has contributed to them” (Lomas, 2000) • Select partners strategically • Senior administrators – lots of contacts, networks • Champion project • Funding for project • Manager – more hands on • Access to resources (data, personnel, etc)

8. Clarify Roles • Use different roles to “manage” your partners • Co-investigator • Advisory panel • “in the loop” • Roles may change over course of project • Determine partner contributions • Provide funding, or in-kind resources • Provide access to data, participants etc. • Disseminate results • Clarify partners’ expectations of you

9. Ask the difficult questions • Clarify partner and researcher roles • Who owns data? • Who has final say on conclusions? • What are limits to publishing? • Who presents/publishes data? • Don’t assume answers, have explicit discussion

10. Assist partners with grant process • Describe process • Don’t just provide links to website! • Help with CVs, signatures, letters of support • Clarify timelines • Grant deadlines are firm • Can take years to get funding

11. Start small • Start with small, local project

12. Working with partners can be risky • Requires learning (and appreciating) each others’ cultures • Is not highly valued by promotion and tenure committees • Requires time, skills and resources • Does not guarantee the “right” decision

13. Remember P&T • Build program of research • Projects should build on each other • Contract versus grant funded research • Develop projects that will lead to academic publications • Incorporate “academic” components • Balance traditional academic and partner studies • Look for student projects

14. Plan for time and resources • Plan around grant cycles • Get seed funding • Use existing opportunities • Student projects • Learn new skills • Media training, project management, etc. • Work with experienced researcher

15. Develop a thick skin • Decisions are influenced by many factors • Research findings and partnerships may be dismissed despite best efforts • Research may be criticized by partners