Community engagement in Canadian health and social science research: Field reports on four studies

Authors

  • Andrew Eaton University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v6i2.70165

Keywords:

community engagement, peer researchers, community-based participatory research, HIV/AIDS, Canada

Abstract

Community engagement is a hallmark of Canadian health and social science research, yet we lack detailed descriptions of pragmatic peer engagement possibilities. People personally affected by a study’s topic can actively contribute to design, data collection, intervention delivery, analysis, and dissemination yet the nature and scope of involvement can vary based on context. The shift from academic to community-based research teams, where peers who share participant identities assume a leadership role, may be attributed to the HIV/AIDS response where community co-production of knowledge has been a fundamental component since the epidemic’s onset. This article discusses four health and social science studies from a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework and synthesizes the strengths and limitations of community engagement across these endeavours to offer lessons learned that may inform the design of future CBPR projects.

Author Biography

Andrew Eaton, University of Toronto

Andrew D. Eaton is a Ph.D. Candidate and Research Director at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. He is a cisgender male heterosexual Caucasian, middle-class settler. He is the Ontario HIV Treatment Network’s (OHTN) Endgame Student Leader in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder and Psychosocial Interventions. Email: andrew.eaton@utoronto.ca 

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Published

2021-04-15

How to Cite

Eaton, A. (2021). Community engagement in Canadian health and social science research: Field reports on four studies. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 6(2), 118–134. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v6i2.70165

Issue

Section

Reports from the Field