Community Engagement
Community engagement is the meaningful engagement of individuals from communities or communities themselves in research. These individuals or communities collaborate actively in defining issues, considering solutions, and identifying resources or priorities for action.
Meaningful community engagement can take place at different stages in the research, planning, or implementation phases of a project and can also include participation in governance.
For many community members, authentic and meaningful engagement in research means working side by side with researchers and research staff. Ideally, these engagements become partnerships, where community members co-lead meetings, projects, initiatives, and more.
This definition and description are adapted from CIHR's definitions of Citizen Engagement and Patient Engagement.
Community Engagement at the Institute
Community engagement with the Institute may look and feel different from time to time. It might include long-term engagements or engagements that are shorter in term. Some of these include being a member of the Community Advisory Committee; planning, contributing to or participating in a workshop or meeting that the Institute hosts; or being a participant in another type of ad hoc or standing initiative related to or hosted by the Institute. No matter what the engagement looks like, community partners are supported to engage in ways that work for them.
Terms Used in Community Engagement
The Institute recognizes that different terms may be used to describe people with lived and living experiences of a health condition or disease or with the health system. Some of these include: patient, caregiver, person with lived experience, and person with lived and living experience. When working with community members, it is best to ask them to let you know their preferred term.
Community Advisory Committee
The CIHR-III Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is an effort to engage and listen to the perspectives of people with lived and living experience and their communities to ensure their insights are incorporated in relevant III activities and funding opportunities.
Spotlight on Community Engagement in Infection and Immunity
Coming soon.
Community Engagement Resources
- CIHR's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) – The homepage for CIHR's SPOR initiative, which includes how CIHR defines ‘patient,' and ‘patient engagement.
- CIHR SPOR Patient Engagement Framework – A framework to guide research teams that engage patients on their teams, which includes guiding principles and core areas for engagement.
- CIHR SPOR SUPPORT Units – SUPPORT Units are collaborations between the federal government and provinces and territories, and which provide specialized services throughout their regions to researchers, patients, clinicians, policy makers and SPOR-funded entities to conduct patient-oriented research.
- CIHR Institute of Genetics Patient Partnership Page – Describes how the Institute of Genetics defines patient partnership, and provides resources.
- CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis Patient Engagement Page – Describes how the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis defines patient engagement and the activities and resources it has co-created with patients as partners to help others in their work.
- CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis How-To Guide for Patient Engagement in Research – A free online set of modules (with certificates of completion provided) for any member of a research team (including patient partners) to introduce them to patient engagement in research and to support their efforts related to doing this type of work.
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