Elana Brief, PhDWomen’s Health Research Network

Bobbi Symes, MABC Network on Aging Research

Community Based ResearchWith a Lens on Aging and Gender Exploring Connections and Fostering 

Collaboration 

By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

•

articulate the potential of community 

based research

•

feel inspired to consider research 

questions that emerge from their work

•

identify potential collaborators

•

seek out resources to support them in 

pursuing their research questions

Goals

Plan for today 

• Wearing multiple hats

• What is Community Based Research?

• Different roles and opportunities

• Asking meaningful questions

• Who else to involve?

• Additional resources

Expertise in the RoomHow would I describe myself?

A) Academic Researcher / Student / Research Assistant

B) Community Based Researcher

C) Health Care Provider

D) Community Service Provider

E) Policy Developer / Analyst

F) Research Participant

G) Other

Desire to do Research

Why do I want to engage in research?

A) Need more evidence for decisions I make

B) Need more evidence to convince decision makers

C) Want to make a bigger difference

D) I like details and data

E) Research is necessary to get funding for my unit

F) Build my portfolio to apply for grad school

G) I’m a researcher looking for a good question

H) Other?

Engaged in Community Based Research?

“…

conducted by, for and with the participation  of community members…. Community based 

research aims not merely to advance  understanding, but also to ensure that 

knowledge contributes to making a concrete and  constructive difference

in the world”. 

(The Loka Institute, 2002) 

Community Based Research 

•

Collaborative research

•

Participatory research

•

Participatory action research

•

Action research

•

Feminist action research

•

Feminist‐informed participatory action research

•

Community‐based participatory research

•

Research in practice

And so on!

Multiple, Overlapping Terms…

What they have in common:

•Seek multiple perspectives.

•Goal of the research is 

measurable change.

What they have in common:

•Seek multiple perspectives.

•Goal of the research is 

measurable change.

Relationships in “Traditional Research”

I know you only as a 

researcher.

I do not contribute to 

research question, design, 

analysis or dissemination.

I have no access to the 

results.

I know you only as a 

subject.

My academic colleagues 

and I have full control 

over the study.

This is the first and last 

time we meet.

I help out with the project. 

I have no input into the 

question or design.

Ritas, C. (2003). Speaking Truth, Creating Power: A Guide to Policy Work for Community‐Based Participatory 

Research Practitioners. New York NY, Hunter College Center on AIDS, Drugs and Community Health For Community‐

Campus Partnerships for Health.

Democratizing Research         

Examples of Roles            Formulating 

the Research 

Question

Designing 

Method

Data 

Collection

Data Analysis Dissemination 

and Action

academic 

researcher

clinical 

researcher

community 

based 

researcher

service 

provider

policy maker

patient / client

Individual Exercise: What do I like to do?

You’ll have 5 minutes to reflect on these questions.  This is just for you – you will not be 

asked to share your responses.

What Comes of the Results?

Research 

Question 

Research 

Question 

Results of 

Research

academic 

literatureacademic 

collaborators

academic 

literature

previous 

researchacademic literature / 

grey literature

CBRResearch Question

Results of Research

service delivery question

community activists

academic/community collaborators

community needs 

assessment

policy issue or question

previous research

policy change

community action

collaborativeresearch process

academic literature

increased research skills

best practices

grey literature

How to build a research team?

Individual and Group Exercises

What best describes you?

A) Enthusiastic networker

B) Reluctant, but adequate networker

C) Shy, but I’ll meet people

D) I skip all the networking events I can

Networking Survey

Awkward Beginnings

Hello,

I’m Elana BriefElana BriefElana Brief

Exercisegroups of TWO for 1 minute

say full NAME(don’t mumble orcover your mouth)

Ahem…

Having a GOAL

helps to connect with others

1.

Like minded people

• Asking the same types of questions

• Working with the same populations

2.

Complementary skills

• Good at different stages of research

3.

Growing partnerships

• Working in different sectors

Determines how 

the conversation 

will proceed

Making Connections

ExerciseOn your own1.

Reflective Exercise (to come)2.

Answer questions:• Who am I?• Two minute blurb: personal research interest.

With a partner1.

Say your name clearly.2.

Say your blurb to each other.3.

Give feedback.

Enlarging your network1.

“Work”

the room.2.

Meet people you don’t know.3.

Introduce new people to people you already know.

Promoting Self and Others

It is when people really listen to us, with quiet, fascinated attention, 

that the little fountain [inspiration, engagement, enjoyment] begins 

to work again, to accelerate in the most surprising way.

I discovered all this about three years ago, and truly it made a

revolutionary change in my life. Before that, when I went to a party, 

I would think anxiously: "Now try hard. Be lively. Say bright things. 

Talk. Don't let down." And when tired, I would have to drink a lot of 

coffee to keep this up.

Now before going to a party, I just tell myself to listen with affection 

to anyone who talks to me, to be in their shoes when they talk; to 

try to know them without my mind pressing against theirs, or 

arguing, or changing the subject.‐

Brenda Ueland

Advice to the Shy (or Tired)…

What’s my 

question?

myself

my co‐researchersmy co‐workers 

my neighbourhoodmy community

my/our contextsocial

economicpolitical

my/our concerns

Reflection: Approaching a Research Question

What do I care about?

How do my concerns 

fit with others’

concerns?

What questions or 

concerns do I have in 

my daily life or work?

What is possible? 

What can I do right 

now?

Individual Exercise: What’s My Question?

You’ll have 15 minutes to reflect on these questions.  This is just for you – you will not be 

asked to share your responses.

Dark Chocolate is Healthy: Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

FACT

Fact or Fiction?

……at least that’s our excuse

ExerciseOn your own1.

Reflective Exercise2.

Answer questions:• Who am I?• Two minute blurb: personal research interest.

With a partner1.

Say your name clearly.2.

Say your blurb to each other.3.

Give feedback.

Enlarging your network1.

“Work”

the room.2.

Meet people you don’t know.3.

Introduce new people to people you already know.

Guidelines for Exercise

1.What surprised you?

2.What challenged you?

3.What questions do you still have?

Large Group Discussion

Resources from BCNAR and WHRN

research in girls’and women’s health

action based on research

Our Common Ground –

Goals of Publication

What’s In Our Common Ground?

Definitions and Philosophy

Roles and Responsibility

Research Strategies

Celebrating Action

Worksheets for Discussion

Downloadable

www.whrn.ca

Research PrimersSex & Gender

Health Determinants

Intersectionality

Community Based Research

www.bcnar.ca

Conference Reports

Aging Well in Northern, Rural and 

Remote Communities

Promoting Active Aging by Connecting 

BC Researchers and Communities

Gender, Gerontology and Geography

The Assisted Living Model

Health Data Links – The Source

www.womenshealthdata.ca

Health Data Links – The Source

www.womenshealthdata.ca

www.womenshealthdata.ca

Grey Literature Search

www.bcnar.ca

Peer Reviewed Publications Database

Searchable Member Database

www.whrn.cawww.bcnar.ca

Online Meetings for Network Members

WHRN and BCNAR members have access to WebEx for free long‐

distance telephone and internet‐based meetings.

Resources Available

Downloadable podcasts

Announcements about 

events, jobs, funding

and 

publications

Resources Available

Become a Member (FREE)

Become a Member (FREE)

By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

•

articulate the potential of community 

based research

•

feel inspired to consider research 

questions that emerge from their work

•

identify potential collaborators

•

seek out resources to support them in 

pursuing their research questions

Goals

www.whrn.cawww.bcnar.ca