Abstract

Researchers, public health officials, and other community leaders seek strategies to address historic and well-documented mistrust of research that can impede our collective efforts to ameliorate a public health crisis. The need for culturally responsive research has become even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic as communities harmed by and distrustful of research are disproportionately burdened by the global pandemic. Community-Campus Partnerships for Health listens to communities to develop guidance for researchers and ethicists on how to ensure research accounts for and honors the lived experiences within culturally diverse populations. This guidance fills a critical gap in the federal regulations for community-centered protections of human participants. This chapter highlights select findings from a PCORI-funded community engagement award, focusing on lessons learned during two listening sessions with African Americans in North Carolina facilitated by Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. Participants highlighted the importance of earning trust, building genuine relationships, and understanding the historic and contemporary factors that influence decisions regarding participation in research.