Successes, challenges and lessons learned: Community-engaged research with South Carolina's Gullah population

Main Article Content

Ida J. Spruill
Renata Serricchio Leite
Jyotika K. Fernandes
Diane L. Kamen
Marvella E. Ford
Carolyn Jenkins
Kelly J. Hunt
Jeannette O. Andrews

Abstract

Engaging communities is highly recommended in the conduct of health research among vulnerable populations. The strength of community-engaged research is well documented and is recognised as a useful approach for eliminating health disparities and improving health equity. In this article, five interdisciplinary teams from the Medical University of South Carolina present their involvement with community-engaged research with a unique population of Gullah African Americans residing in rural South Carolina. Their work has been integrated with the nine established principles of community-engaged research: establishing clear goals, becoming knowledgeable about the community, establishing relationships, developing community self-determination, partnering with the community, maintaining respect, mobilising community assets, releasing control, and maintaining community collaboration.

In partnership with a Citizen Advisory Committee, developed at the inception of the first community-engaged research project, the academic researchers have been able to build on relationships and trust with this population to sustain partnerships and to meet major research objectives over a 20-year period. Challenges observed include structural inequality, organisational and cultural issues, and lack of resources for building sustainable research infrastructure. Lessons learned during this process include the necessity for clearly articulated and shared goals, knowledge about the community culture, and embedding the cultural context within research approaches.

Keywords: Engaged health research, vulnerable populations, longterm collaboration, South Carolina 'Gullah' communities

Article Details

Section
Practice-based articles (Non-refereed)
Author Biographies

Ida J. Spruill, Medical University of South Carolina

Assistant Professor, College of Nursing

Renata Serricchio Leite, Medical University of South Carolina

Assistant Professor - Division of Periodontics, College of Dental Medicine Co-Director - Clinical Core - Center for Oral Health Research

Jyotika K. Fernandes, Medical University of South Carolina

Associate Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Medical Genetics, College of Medicine

Diane L. Kamen, Medical University of South Carolina

Associate Professor, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, College of Medicine

Marvella E. Ford, Medical University of South Carolina

Associate Professor, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Medicine; Associate Director, Cancer Disparities, Hollings Cancer Center

Carolyn Jenkins, Medical University of South Carolina

Professor, College of Nursing

Kelly J. Hunt, Medical University of South Carolina

Associate Professor, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Medicine

Jeannette O. Andrews, Medical University of South Carolina

Professor & Director, SCTR Center for Community Health Partnerships; Associate Dean for Research; College of Nursing