Initiative Objectives/goals; Why is it important
Summary
The Community-Based Research (CBR) Collaborative is a vibrant, national network of people living with HIV, researchers, community-based organizations, health care providers, and policy makers. CBR provides infrastructure to foster and support rigorous, relevant CBR to improve the health and wellbeing of people living with and affected by HIV in Canada.
As part of REACH Nexus, the CBR Collaborative works to mobilize and grow our successful CBR network to address the needs of those living with and affected by HIV across Canada. Through the Collaborative and our partnerships, we coordinate CBR efforts within and across regions; target CBR efforts and build CBR capacity where it is needed most; build partnerships and provide infrastructure for funding and program success; and promote knowledge mobilization and learning for impact.
CBR is a highly collaborative approach to research that respects and values the contributions and expertise of all team members across sectors and from diverse communities.
First funded for 2012-2017, the CIHR CBR Collaborative is now in its second 5-year period of funding as a Program of REACH 3.0. We have supported well over 100 regional and population specific projects to successfully obtain funding, conduct CBR in imaginative and action-oriented ways, and empower community and network voices to mobilize change for communities affected by HIV. We have also trained and provided resources to students, people living with HIV, and community partners in CBR and knowledge mobilization.
CBR is a highly collaborative approach to research that respects and values the contributions and expertise of all team members across sectors and from diverse communities. The CBR Collaborative builds capacity and comfort in CBR for people with lived experience of HIV, community agency partners, health care providers, researchers and trainees. In CBR, the research process itself is a form of social action that enhances knowledge and skills for all partners, builds community, breaks down barriers, impacts health, and reduces stigma associated with HIV.
Rigorous, Relevant, Vibrant
The CBR Collaborative
Region
National
CORE TEAMS
REACH Funded
FOCUS
Overcoming Stigma
Supporting People Living With HIV
Building Capacity & Supporting CBR
SINGULAR IMPORTANCE OF THIS INITIATIVE
To ensure people with lived experience of HIV are prominent in HIV research, the CBR Collaborative—an approach that respects and values the contributions and expertise of all team members across sectors and from diverse communities—provides virtual space and resources for our national network to continue to build CBR capacity for HIV/STBBIs in Canada for people living with HIV, researchers, community members and agencies, students and trainees.
LEADS
A REACH Nexus project. NPI: Dr. Sean Rourke,
Co-Directors: Cathy Worthington, Ken Monteith
TARGET AUDIENCE
People living with HIV; At-risk, marginalized populations; healthcare sector workers; general population
TARGET SCHEDULE / TIMELINE
2009 — ongoing
The Collaborative provides support and mentoring to assist people with lived experience of HIV to remain engaged in research—from the initial stages of developing a research question in partnership, to actively sharing research results and working for change.
People living with HIV have long been at the centre of efforts to fight HIV and improve the health and well-being of communities affected by HIV in Canada. In order to ensure people with lived experience of HIV are prominent in HIV research, the CBR Collaborative provides a virtual space and resources for our national network to continue to build CBR capacity for HIV/STBBI in Canada for people living with HIV, researchers, community members and agencies, and students and trainees.
Through our capacity-bridging, research support and training, we will use our collective understandings to increase HIV CBR capacity across the country
By providing a venue for our members and others interested in CBR to share resources, receive information and support, create materials, and participate in dialogue within and beyond the network—in both official languages—we will build and bridge capacity, ensure that CBR flourishes across Canada, and that research results are widely communicated and used in programming and policy.
“Our entry into the REACH family was with the initial CBR Collaborative where we offered training, guidance and support to connect community based groups with academics and researchers...We’ve also seen some great shifts in our relationship with local researchers who have transitioned research projects to better encompass elements of CBR, including engaging people with lived experience in analysis, and hiring these peers as research and evaluation associates.”
MIKE PAYNE,
Executive Director, nine circles
RESULTS
Putting community at the heart of our HIV research means respecting lived experience, and working in partnership as we share ideas and build resources.
Our regional teams and networks allow us to stay close to community priorities and needs, and to generate research projects and training materials that are available and used in “real time” for real world solutions impacting HIV/STBBIs.
Through our capacity-bridging, research support and training, we will use our collective understandings to increase HIV CBR capacity across the country to create relevant research to make the lives of people living with and affected by HIV better by improving HIV prevention and care services and reducing stigma.
We will continue to collect resources for CBR training and engagement, share these broadly, and use research results for action on HIV.
