The Center currently comprises active programs involving aspects of community-based health research focused on underserved communities.  The components are:

The Academy
Engaging members of the community in training for participation in community-based participatory research (CBPR) is the primary goal of the academy.  The Center has trained members of the community who participated in collecting data for their community’s Healthy Neighborhood Report.  Additionally, community members have been trained to contribute to NIH-funded research in which a Charities’ researcher is a co-principal investigator.  Charities’ researchers have compiled a training curriculum based in extensive experience with applied CBPR in the area’s most underserved communities.  Engaging members of the community is a process based on trust, and demands integrity and commitment to a long-standing involvement.  Training benefits the community by helping establish internal capacity for future research activities.

The Academy programs include training designed to enhance the skills of academic researchers who are interested in establishing a partnership with underserved communities. The training will prepare researchers for their work by utilizing and adhering to the principles of CBPR and exploring issues of ethics and cultural sensitivity needed for successful collaboration with community organizations and residents.

Scholar in Residence and Pre-Doctoral Fellowships
The Scholar in Residence Fellowship is an innovative new program jointly developed with the United Methodist Conference and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.  The selected candidate who has proven expertise in a field of interest receive a two-year fellowship award that enables the development and implementation of a research-based program of critical importance to the community.

Established in May 2006, the first pre-doctoral fellowship in community-based research was awarded for a two-year period to a doctoral student in Public Health and Informatics.  The fellowship’s primary objective is to provide the fellow with opportunities to develop expertise through mentored research and knowledge transfer for the community’s benefit.

Grant-Seeking Collaboratives
Deep roots in the community and in Public Health Research, along with The Charities’ extensive experience in grant making and management, are the Center’s foundational assets for convening and participating in grant-seeking collaboratives. The Center actively seeks funding opportunities that best fit the community’s needs, and invites community organizations and funding partners to engage jointly in the application and research processes. Recent examples of grant applications with academic institutions and the community have included Baylor College of Medicine, ProSalud Inc., and The University of Texas School of Public Health. Successful partnership grants have included:

• The Prevention Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health and a community-based prevention education program for adolescents in the East End neighborhood.

• Texas Southern University and the Fifth Ward neighborhood working with a grant to prepare a faculty member for community-based research.

• The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas Southern University and four African American communities in Galveston, Texas.