Despite increasing support for community-based participatory research (CBPR) to reduce health disparities, challenges at the individual and institutional levels have restricted its adoption. One such challenge is the lack of in-depth and experiential training 104 opportunities for CBPR practitioners – both academic and community-based. This article describes Partnerships in Community Health Research (PCHR), a program centered at the University of British Columbia, which was designed to provide an integrated, multiyear program for both graduate students and community members to develop knowledge, skills, and experience to engage collaboratively in CBPR. PCHR is a unique training program in that the researchers and community members enter as “equal learners”, community members identify the research projects, and partnerships are sustained beyond one group of learners. To assess the PCHR model, the article outlines two dimensions (learner readiness to engage in CBPR; the extent to which actual projects meet established CPBR criteria for success), and two PCHR learner projects as case studies to portray both achievements and lessons learned.
Masuda, J.R. et al. (2011) Building capacity for community-based participatory research for health disparities in Canada: The Case of ''Partnerships in Community Health Research''. Health Promotion Practice, 12(2), 280-292. Full Text.