Commission created for Community-Engaged Faculty

Posted by on October 24, 2003

National Commission Seeks to Reward Faculty for Linking Scholarship to Community Concerns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact Jen Kauper-Brown at 206-543-7954 or jenbr@u.washington.edu, or visit
http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/ccph/kellogg3.html

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health has been funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation to convene a Commission on Community-Engaged Scholarship in the Health Professions to take a leadership role in creating a more supportive culture and reward system for health professional faculty involved in community-based participatory research, service-learning and other forms of “community-engaged scholarship.”

Many prominent national organizations, including the Institute of Medicine in its 2002 reports on the future of public health, are calling upon health professional schools and academic health centers to be more responsive to their communities. A frequently cited barrier, however, to sustained faculty involvement in community-based teaching, research and service is the risk associated with trying to achieve promotion and tenure. Barbara Sabol, Program Director with the WK Kellogg Foundation, explains that, “the WK Kellogg Foundation has long made a significant investment in programs and policies that advance community-based public health. Unfortunately, the predominant paradigm of faculty incentives in our nation’s health professional schools runs counter to the Foundation’s focus on engaged institutions. This work is designed to provide the leadership and practical tools that are needed to reward faculty for linking their scholarship to community needs and concerns.” A more supportive culture and reward system for health professional faculty involved in community-engaged scholarship is key to having them generate new knowledge about the social and ecologic determinants of health, educate a new generation of public health professionals who are prepared to effect change, and contribute to improved public health.

The Commission seeks to elevate the discussion around the issue of community-engaged scholarship by disseminating reports on key issues such as the rationale for community-engaged scholarship and recommendations for peer review criteria and processes; and implementing strategies to influence support for community-engaged scholarship through such means as engaging key stakeholder groups, writing editorials and making presentations. The Commission is comprised of a diverse group of leaders from academic institutions, professional associations, community-based organizations, philanthropy and government who bring a wealth of relevant experience, knowledge and connections combined with a desire for change. A complete listing of Commission members appears below.

In addition to the Commission, the initiative also includes the development and dissemination of tools that health professional faculty and promotion and tenure committees can use to better understand, document, and assess community-engaged scholarship. The toolkit will include specific guidance for faculty on planning for and navigating the promotion and tenure process; examples of faculty portfolios; suggested methods for documenting and assessing community-engaged scholarship; guidance to community partners for how they can play a meaningful role in the process; and a directory of funding sources for community-engaged
scholarship.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) welcomes suggestions of key articles, reports, people and programs that should be considered for this project. Questions, comments, citations or full-text materials may be directed to program coordinator, Jen Kauper-Brown, by e-mail: jenbr@u.washington.edu, by phone: 206/543-7954, or by mail: UW Box 354809, Seattle, WA 98195-4809.

Project updates and reports will be posted on the CCPH website as they become available: ttp://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/ccph/kellogg3.html