A new study by Institute for Translational Sciences researchers and colleagues identified community-informed approaches for aligning biomedical research with social benefits. 

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Texas Southern University worked with community groups to identify factors that scientists should consider to align their work with expected social benefits. Through focus groups and other public events, the researchers led discussions with scientists, patients, caretakers, and others. The discussions addressed topics such as HIV, maternal health, and mental health and substance use disorders.

As described in in PLoS One, three factors stood out for socially responsible science: relevance, usability, and sustainability. The authors suggested actionable practices for each, including broadening the scope of research to be more holistic and increasing the amount of interaction between communities and researchers.

Citation: Smith EMR, Loutrianakis G, Beatty K, Bohn K, Cunningham KA, Croisant S, Farroni JS, Gienger M, Guinn D, Hawkins-Sneed J, Mathur S, McNamara V, Miller M, Molldrem S, Pounds K, Subrahmanyam V, Tumilty E, Loudd GA. Developing a stakeholder-informed social responsibility model for translational science. PLoS One. 2025 Jun 9;20(6):e0320956. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320956. PMID: 40489521; PMCID: PMC12148177.