Creating a Community-Engaged Health Research Curriculum: Lessons Learned Across Sites and Stakeholders

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Abstract
Community-engaged health research (CEnHR) offers unique learning opportunities for undergraduate social work students to simultaneously obtain essential research and collaboration skills, while engaging with communities, gaining professional competencies, and building networks. Qualitative research methods were used to assess community partners’ and students’ needs to ensure that stakeholder perspectives were an integral part of developing the new curriculum in CEnHR at a large, suburban, public university. Questions in focus groups and interviews were designed to elicit specific needs and key structural elements essential to the success of a CEnHR academic program. Although some of the known barriers and concerns were validated (such as concerns about logistics and timing of courses), participants expressed additional, unexpected challenges, such as student desires for recognition of work and the need for students to develop high levels of “soft skills” and emotional intelligence through the program to ensure success.

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