TY - JOUR
T1 - Reaching the underserved through community-based participatory research and service learning
T2 - Description and evaluation of a unique medical student training program
AU - DeHaven, Mark J.
AU - Gimpel, Nora E.
AU - Dallo, Florence J.
AU - Billmeier, Tiffany M.
PY - 2011/7/1
Y1 - 2011/7/1
N2 - OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the Community Health Fellowship Program (CHFP), describe the types of projects completed by the community health fellows from 2005 to 2009 and to assess the program's effectiveness from the perspective of fellows and community partners. METHODS: We developed the CHFP for training medical students in community-based participatory research (CBPR), and understanding the components of successful community partnerships for addressing health disparities in underserved communities. The program has didactic and applied community research components. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2009, fellows completed 25 research projects with 19 different community partners. Fellows reported favorable attitudes about the program, their mentors, and their community projects; their research knowledge increased significantly in most areas, especially their ability to develop a succinct research question, familiarity with CBPR, and delivering a formal research presentation (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P <.05). Community partners reported favorable attitudes toward the fellows and the program; using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = not favorable, 5 = very favorable), they reported highly favorable attitudes about fellows' level of responsibility (4.85), level of cooperation (4.85), familiarity with the needs of the medically underserved (4.69), and knowledge of how to apply local solutions to health problems (4.54). CONCLUSIONS: The CHFP has high favorability and support among fellows and community partners; the program can serve as a prototype for training future physicians in understanding and addressing the needs of the underserved, through community partnerships, and community-based participatory research.
AB - OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the Community Health Fellowship Program (CHFP), describe the types of projects completed by the community health fellows from 2005 to 2009 and to assess the program's effectiveness from the perspective of fellows and community partners. METHODS: We developed the CHFP for training medical students in community-based participatory research (CBPR), and understanding the components of successful community partnerships for addressing health disparities in underserved communities. The program has didactic and applied community research components. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2009, fellows completed 25 research projects with 19 different community partners. Fellows reported favorable attitudes about the program, their mentors, and their community projects; their research knowledge increased significantly in most areas, especially their ability to develop a succinct research question, familiarity with CBPR, and delivering a formal research presentation (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P <.05). Community partners reported favorable attitudes toward the fellows and the program; using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = not favorable, 5 = very favorable), they reported highly favorable attitudes about fellows' level of responsibility (4.85), level of cooperation (4.85), familiarity with the needs of the medically underserved (4.69), and knowledge of how to apply local solutions to health problems (4.54). CONCLUSIONS: The CHFP has high favorability and support among fellows and community partners; the program can serve as a prototype for training future physicians in understanding and addressing the needs of the underserved, through community partnerships, and community-based participatory research.
KW - community medicine
KW - community-based participatory research
KW - health disparities
KW - medical student training
KW - service learning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79958791376&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79958791376&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182214707
DO - 10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182214707
M3 - Article
C2 - 21617414
AN - SCOPUS:79958791376
SN - 1078-4659
VL - 17
SP - 363
EP - 368
JO - Journal of Public Health Management and Practice
JF - Journal of Public Health Management and Practice
IS - 4
ER -