Chicago Consortium for Community Engagement (C3)

Better science, better health in Chicago

Mission and Vision Heading link

Mission: To maximize the impact of community-engaged research, to improve population health and health equity throughout greater Chicago.

The Chicago Consortium for Community Engagement (C3) represents a network of academic research institutions and community stakeholders that connect and leverage the resources of the community engagement programs of Chicago’s Clinical and Translational Science Institutes (CTSIs).
C3 actively engages researchers, community stakeholders, policy makers and others who share a common vision for a healthier Chicago.

Background Heading link

C3 takes advantage of the significant federal investment of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Chicago’s CTSIs to ensure that local research is conducted collaboratively with communities in efforts to make research findings more relevant and available to the public more effectively and efficiently.

Goals:

  • Increase multi-stakeholder collaboration in community-engaged research
  • Maximize efficiencies in community-engaged research
  • Facilitate the dissemination of research findings
  • Influence policy and practice to improve population health
  • To this end, C3 creates synergies that increase the reach of each institution’s research and engagement efforts and creates opportunities for collaborations among university and community collaborators.

Structure Heading link

C3 has established a multi-institutional administrative structure that includes faculty, staff, and partners from the following:

Values Heading link

Collaboration

  • Meaningfully and mutually working towards a shared vision among C3 partners
  • Valuing sustained relationships and building trust
  • Developing capacity of all partners
  • Focusing on community priorities

Impact

  • Sharing findings with partners and stakeholders in useful ways
  • Leading to meaningful/sustainable outcomes that are tangible, feasible, and relevant to improving community health
  • Focusing on potential benefits for all partners
  • Leading to evidence-informed knowledge, programming, and practice

Equity

  • Sharing power, resources, and decision-making in an equitable and agreed upon manner
  • Building on partners’ strengths and assets
  • Addressing conflicts with an open mind with commitment to fair resolution
  • Respecting diverse perspectives, cultures, priorities, and needs

Activities Heading link

Collaboration with CDPH on addressing the Data & Research Priorities of Healthy Chicago 2.0 (HC2.0), a four-year strategic plan for the city’s public health system. Activities so far have included work to align the research partnerships with other HC2.0 priorities; the establishment of an Office of Research and Evaluation at CDPH (headed by new CDPH Coordinator position to be collaboratively funded by the Chicago CTSIs), and initiatives to support the local dissemination of research findings directly to non-academic community audiences.

C3 sponsored educational offering for both new and experienced researchers from academic institutions, community based and community serving organizations

C3 contributed to the development and testing of a human subject’s protection training curriculum for community partners. This curriculum is designed to increase the capacity of community partners to knowledgeably participate in partnered research.

C3 contributed to the development and testing of a human subject’s protection training curriculum for community partners. This curriculum is designed to increase the capacity of community partners to knowledgeably participate in partnered research.