# RCMI Community Engagement Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2021 · $386,872

## Abstract

ABSTRACT 
Governed by the values of integrity, partnership, and equity, the Community Engagement Core (CEC) uses a 
broad base of community expertise and guidance that will interact with the other Cores and research projects 
that comprise the RCMI to enable: (1) the prioritization and conduct of research that addresses community- 
guided health concerns; and (2) the rapid dissemination and implementation of research findings to achieve 
health equity. The CEC will work closely with a Community Advisory Board (CAB) and Community Research 
Advisory Board (CRAB) to: (1) assess community health priorities; (2) guide research emphases and design; (3) 
enable and sustain a trusted and contributory presence in communities; (4) empower community members to 
be agents of change; and (5) guide the application of research findings toward meaningful and health- 
promoting community initiatives. CEC Specific Aims are to: (1) Facilitate equitable, collaborative, and 
sustainable relationships between researchers and community members/stakeholders to enable a bi- 
directional “exchange of information” that augments the potential impact of research findings for achieving 
health equity; (2) Build and nurture trust within communities to enable the recruitment and retention of 
underrepresented groups in research; and (3) Enhance the translation of research into practice through the 
timely and tailored dissemination of research findings to key stakeholders including community partners, 
health care organizations, policymakers, and the scientific community. CEC Specific Aims will be guided in 
inquiry and action by key recommendations to achieving community-based solutions to health challenges1 and 
via an Interactive Systems Framework2,3 for dissemination and implementation. The CEC will leverage and 
expand extant infrastructure and ongoing community partnerships to serve as the hub for community-engaged 
research at the University of Houston, the second most ethnically diverse major research university in the U.S.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10259791
- **Project number:** 5U54MD015946-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** LECHAUNCY D WOODARD
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $386,872
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-08 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10259791

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10259791, RCMI Community Engagement Core (5U54MD015946-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10259791. Licensed CC0.

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