ABQ Times

The University of New Mexico has received research funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). PCORI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting research that provides evidence-based information to guide healthcare decisions.

Assistant Psychology Professor Cassie Boness and her team at the Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions (CASAA) will collaborate with over 20 partners from various communities, institutions, and research fields. Their goal is to develop a measure assessing how well these partners are working together on community-engaged research projects.

Liliana Spurgeon, a co-investigator and community partner on the project, noted, "The PCORI award is an exciting step towards giving the community decision-making power and autonomy, which will allow it to impact how community-engaged research is reviewed for a range of other projects." She added, "This research has the potential to create a lasting change in making sure that the research used to improve healthcare is more accurate, easier to access, fair, and fits the needs of the community it is serving."

The CASAA team's initiative, named the Research Engagement and Activities in Collaborative Teams (REACT) measure, aims to help community-engaged research teams evaluate and improve their collaborative efforts to enhance health outcomes.

Spurgeon commented, "Community-driven research, like our team’s project, is an important approach to address health gaps that are too often ignored. By including the community's opinions and needs, this work supports a more open and culturally appropriate approach to healthcare research."

The study aligns with recent advancements in participatory research strategies, which involve patients, caregivers, clinicians, and others as partners in the research process. Despite this progress, there has been limited systematic research on the effectiveness of different engagement techniques.

This project is part of a series of studies funded by PCORI to develop measures and approaches that enhance meaningful engagement in comparative clinical effectiveness research. The funding awaits the completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI, along with the issuance of a formal award contract.