The Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity (CAIRHE) achieves its research mission through multidisciplinary community-based participatory research (CBPR) that is considerate of and consistent with communities’ cultural beliefs. Community involvement in every phase of the research, from design to dissemination, results in the most effective inquiry and intervention because the greatest knowledge of the health disparities plaguing Montana’s frontier region resides in the communities themselves. Since its inception, the Center has relied upon strong community engagement to build effective community-investigator partnerships across Montana, including seven Indigenous reservations and many isolated rural areas, and to train investigators in best practices of CBPR. CAIRHE has developed a growing network of communities, health care providers, public health agencies, and other stakeholders working together to improve health outcomes for Montana’s most vulnerable populations. Beginning with COBRE Phase I, CAIRHE and its Institutional Development Award (IDeA) partner at MSU, Montana INBRE, formed the innovative Montana IDeA Community Engagement Core (CEC). Through shared resources and cross-program collaboration, the CEC eliminates redundancy between the two IDeA programs, and it enables cost efficiencies and more conscientious stewardship of taxpayer resources. Continuing throughout Phase III, CAIRHE will contribute to the success of the Core through its support of Community Research Associates, development of Community Advisory Boards, maintenance and management of the Core’s Health Education and Research Bus (HERB), and implementation of the new Core Business Plan. In addition to the CEC’s existing portfolio of training tools spanning introductory to advanced topics, the Core will create an online hub for training researchers in best practices for community-engaged research with rural and tribal partners. The Core is working with partners at the Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) at the University of Washington and the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah to apply expertise on both sides to build a solid educational platform for investigators. Finally, the Core will leverage CAIRHE’s Health Equity Network to increase the dissemination, implementation, and impact of research. On the front end of the research process, the Core will offer academic-community partnership training for disseminating research statewide and regionally. As pilot projects and other Center-supported studies draw to an end—with the full cooperation of the Center’s community and stakeholder partners—the Network will help CAIRHE share its successful research outcomes and interventions so that they can be replicated in other communities in Montana and the Mountain West region facing similar health challenges. In turn, partners will continue to recommend research needed from CAIRHE investigators to respond to pressing local and statewide health ...