What is Community Partnered Participatory Research (CPPR)

Research into new medical advances offers promising opportunities to address the impact of many chronic health problems on communities. However, findings from research and studies often do not reach the affected communities– particularly when those streets are located in poor, minority or under-served neighborhoods. This gap between the promise of science and the realities of community practice has inspired many changes in the purposes and methods of research, and CPPR is one of those changes.

Community-Partnered Participatory Research (CPPR) closes the science-community gap by engaging diverse community stakeholders and academics together in a two-way learning process from beginning to end. A CPPR project includes community and academic partners in all phases of research and decision-making, shares leadership and resources equitably, highlights the critical importance of evidence while simultaneously valuing the relevance of experience, and emphasizes two-way capacity development. CPPR defines community stakeholders very broadly: everyone who is interested in, or affected by, a particular issue. In order to have a true CPPR partnership you must: 1) focus effectively on community needs, 2) enable the community to use research products and findings, and 3) have enough traction to translate findings into actions, community stakeholders must be TRUE RESEARCH PARTNERS, WITH EQUAL DECISION-MAKING POWER.

For an overview to CPRR refer to the infographic below.