title: Building an academic-community partnered network for clinical services research: the Community Health Improvement Collaborative (CHIC).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Community-based participatory research is recommended for research on health disparities and to improve uptake of clinical research findings. We describe the development of a multicenter consortium designed to support a community agency-academic partner infrastructure to support community-based, health-services research on multiple sources of health and healthcare disparities in local communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe the development of the Los Angeles Community Health Improvement Collaborative (CHIC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CHIC partners examined the research capacity and health priorities of its partners and developed a research agenda focused on four tracer conditions (depression, violence, diabetes, and obesity) and four areas for development of research capacity: public participation in all phases of research; understanding community and organizational context for clinical services interventions; practical clinical services trial methods; and advancing health information technology for clinical services research. The partners pooled resources to develop these areas for the tracer conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The challenges of a participatory approach to community-based clinical services research go beyond the significant methodologic and operational issues for specific projects and include building a sustainable capacity for research, community programs, and partnership across diverse communities and stakeholder organizations even when funding sources are not fully aligned with these goals.
authors: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA. kwells@ucla.edu
authors: Kenneth B
authors: KB
authors: Wells
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Staunton
authors: Keith C
authors: KC
authors: Norris
authors: Ricky
authors: R
authors: Bluthenthal
authors: Bowen
authors: B
authors: Chung
authors: Lillian
authors: L
authors: Gelberg
authors: Loretta
authors: L
authors: Jones
authors: Sheryl
authors: S
authors: Kataoka
authors: Paul
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authors: Koegel
authors: Jeanne
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authors: Miranda
authors: Carol M
authors: CM
authors: Mangione
authors: Kavita
authors: K
authors: Patel
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Rodriguez
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Shapiro
authors: Marleen
authors: M
authors: Wong