Community perspective analysis: Informing the design of a community-academic research readiness protocol.

Introduction: Community-engaged partnerships (community/academia/government) can play a role in developing effective protocols that address public health crises. Systemic racism, prioritization of money over humanity, and the repression of the local democratic processes through the State of Michigan Emergency Manager Law (Order of Act 439) all played a role in the Flint Water Crisis. Despite decades of collaboration between Flint-based community organizations and academic institutions, ways to navigate such crises and conduct relevant research were ineffective.

Culturally targeted messaging and racial equity in SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing by multiplex salivary measurement: Protocol overview of a SeroNet investigation.

Better understanding racial disparities observed during the COVID-19 pandemic can be aided by SARS-CoV-2 serology testing. However, racial minorities may be underrepresented in serosurveillance efforts not only due to lack of testing accessibility, but also due to hesitancy towards participating in antibody testing programs stemming from medical mistrust. We designed a randomized control trial to evaluate how non-invasive salivary antibody testing and culturally targeted communication might be used to promote racial equity in uptake of SARS-CoV-2 serology testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Voice Unheard: Women's Perception of Maternal Health Care Post-Flint Water Crisis.

Background: Eleven years have passed since the 2014 Flint water crisis (FWC), yet many voices still go unheard. There is limited evidence of the impact of the FWC on maternal health. This paper used a cross-sectional study design to survey 152 women enrolled in the Supporting Parents and Raising Resilient Kids (SPARRK) study in Flint, Michigan to examine racial differences in women's perceptions of their overall health pre- and post-FWC, perceived maternal health services, and explore the interaction of race and living in Flint on maternal morbidity.

Study protocol: Exploring the use of Family Health Histories in the African American community to reduce health disparities in Flint, Michigan.

Background: Health disparities are costly and preventable differences in disease progression that disproportionately affect minority communities such as African Americans. Practices to reduce health disparities can be rooted in prevention, particularly through screening tools. Family Health History tools are preventative screening mechanisms meant to explore family history to better understand how an individual's health can potentially be predicted or impacted.

Advancing Equity Through Centering Societal Values to Operationalize Racism as a Public Health Crisis: The KKey Values Inequities Model.

Background: The past two decades have been marked by increased efforts to advance equity in various disciplines, including social sciences, public health, environmental health, and medicine. In 2020, a national movement of municipalities declared racism a public health crisis. These efforts have coincided and likely shaped a growing sphere of federal and philanthropic funding for health equity, which frequently calls for practical interventions toward reducing and ultimately eliminating disparities.

Antiracism and Community-Based Participatory Research: Synergies, Challenges, and Opportunities.

Structural racism causes stark health inequities and operates at every level of society, including the academic and governmental entities that support health research and practice. We argue that health research institutions must invest in research that actively disrupts racial hierarchies, with leadership from racially marginalized communities and scholars. We highlight synergies between antiracist principles and community-based participatory research (CBPR), examine the potential for CBPR to promote antiracist research and praxis, illustrate structural barriers to antiracist CBPR praxis, and offer examples of CBPR actions taken to disrupt structural racism.

Study protocol: The Maternal Health Multilevel Intervention for Racial Equity (Maternal Health MIRACLE) Project.

Purpose: To test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multilevel intervention for population-level African American (AA) severe maternal morbidity and mortality.

Background: Severe maternal morbidity and mortality in the U.S.

Protocol for the Healing After Loss (HeAL) Study: a randomised controlled trial of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for major depression following perinatal loss.

Introduction: This protocol describes a study testing the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for major depressive disorder following perinatal loss (early and late fetal death and early neonatal death). Perinatal loss is associated with elevated risk of major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Perinatal loss conveys specific treatment needs.

Developing and maintaining intergenerational relationships in an economically vulnerable community: findings from the Flint women's study.

Few studies describe how community disadvantage impacts intergenerational relationships. Using interviews with women and service providers (n = 100), we explored benefits and challenges of intergenerational relationships in Flint, Michigan, an economically vulnerable community. Women valued relationships that increased social connections and generativity; however, few community resources promoted such relationships.

"It Takes Some Empathy, Sympathy, and Listening": Telephone Outreach to Older Detroiters in a Pandemic as a Modality to Gain an Understanding of Challenges and Resiliency.

This manuscript describes a telephone outreach project for members of a research registry program for older adults in Detroit, Michigan. From April until December 2020, the Healthier Black Elders Center designed and implemented a telephone outreach program, calling 1204 older adults utilizing 15 staff and volunteers. The calls served to check in on registry members and collect data on mental health, coping mechanisms, access to services, masks, testing, and tele-health.

The Continuum of Community Engagement in Research: A Roadmap for Understanding and Assessing Progress.

Background: The past two decades have been marked by increased community involvement in the research process. Community-engaged research (CEnR) is increasingly promoted in the literature, and academic programs with a community-academic partnership focus. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an approach to frame equitable community involvement in research and is a critical component of the CEnR continuum.

Sustainable community engagement in a constantly changing health system.

Engaging patients and communities is invaluable for achieving a patient-centered learning health system. Based on lessons learned in genomic and public health public engagement efforts of our community based organizations in Flint, Michigan, we offer a continuum model for distinguishing various levels of community engagement and recommendations for approaching community, patient and public engagement for healthcare systems that are expanding uses of health information.

Expanding Ethics Review Processes to Include Community-Level Protections: A Case Study from Flint, Michigan.

As the Flint community endeavors to recover and move forward in the aftermath of the Flint water crisis, distrust of scientific and governmental authorities must be overcome. Future community engagement in research will require community-level protections ensuring that no further harm is done to the community. A community ethics review explores risks and benefits and complements institutional review board (IRB) review.