Community Engagement Studios are meetings between scientists and community members that give researchers the opportunity to get direct feedback and guidance from patients, stakeholders, or community groups on planned and ongoing studies.

Since 2019, the UTMB Institute for Translational Sciences (ITS) has organized Community Engagement Studios to increase community and patient input on research questions, recruitment, and study design. UTMB faculty and other researchers can reach out to the UTMB ITS to arrange Community Engagement Studios to support clinical and translational science efforts. The Studios help guide the development of culturally sensitive and ethical proposals, and assist with the dissemination of results. Now, the ITS is working with its partner Texas Southern University (TSU), an HBCU, to organize collaborative Community Engagement Studios that further advance understanding of health disparities and barriers to underrepresented group participation in clinical research. 

The findings from these collaborative studios will inform and drive research conducted by TSU’s Center for Biomedical and Minority Health Research and UTMB’s ITS. The next UTMB-ITS and TSU collaborative Studio is planned for October 2024. 

If you are researcher interested in organizing a Community Engagement Studio, or a member of the community interested in as serving as a Community Expert, please contact Krista Bohn at krbohn@utmb.edu.

Top Image (left to right): Tomiko Fisher (Texas AHEC/community member), Monique Pappadis (UTMB ITS DEIA Lead), Stephen Hudson (Community Health Worker), I'lasha James (Community Health Worker), Claire Hallmark (Community Engagement team, UTMB ITS), Krista Bohn (Community Engagement Team, UTMB ITS), Veronica Ajewole (Community Engagement Lead, TSU), Azeb Yusuf (Community Engagement team, TSU).