Ending "domestic helicopter research".

"Helicopter research" refers to a practice where researchers from wealthier countries conduct studies in lower-income countries with little involvement of local researchers or community members. This practice also occurs domestically. In this Commentary, we outline strategies to curb domestic helicopter research and to foster equity-centered collaborations.

Citizen-led expeditions can generate scientific knowledge and prospects for researchers.

Citizen-led explorative expeditions can foster closer connections between the public and the scientific community. Such expeditions have a considerable but mostly unrecognized track record of success and can help create important networks for advancing science.

Identifying engaging bird species and traits with community science observations.

Identifying rates at which birders engage with different species can inform the impact and efficacy of conservation outreach and the scientific use of community-collected biodiversity data. Species that are thought to be "charismatic" are often prioritized in conservation, and previous researchers have used sociological experiments and digital records to estimate charisma indirectly. In this study, we take advantage of community science efforts as another record of human engagement with animals that can reveal observer biases directly, which are in part driven by observer preference. We apply a multistage analysis to ask whether opportunistic birders contributing to iNaturalist engage more with larger, more colorful, and rarer birds relative to a baseline approximated from eBird contributors. We find that body mass, color contrast, and range size all predict overrepresentation in the opportunistic dataset. We also find evidence that, across 472 modeled species, 52 species are significantly overreported and 158 are significantly underreported, indicating a wide variety of species-specific effects. Understanding which birds are highly engaging can aid conservationists in creating impactful outreach materials and engaging new naturalists. The quantified differences between two prominent community science efforts may also be of use for researchers leveraging the data from one or both of them to answer scientific questions of interest.

A framework for building comprehensive cancer center's capacity for bidirectional engagement.

PURPOSE: Community engagement has benefits for cancer centers' work and for its researchers. This study examined the experiences and perceptions of community engagement by members of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) to create and implement a framework to meet the needs of the entire cancer center. METHODS: This study included three phases: 1) Semi-structured interviews with 12 researchers from a basic science program to identify needs and suggestions for the support of community engagement; 2) Preliminary interview results informed the development of a survey of 86 cancer center members' about their awareness of and readiness to integrate community outreach and engagement into their research; and 3) The Case CCC Office of Community Outreach and Engagement reviewed the results from phases 1 and 2 to develop and then utilize a framework of engagement opportunities. RESULTS: In the interviews and surveys, cancer center members recognized the importance of community engagement and expressed an interest in participating in COE-organized opportunities for bidirectional engagement. While participation barriers include communication issues, limited awareness of opportunities, and competing priorities, members were open to learning new skills, changing approaches, and utilizing services to facilitate engagement. The framework outlines engagement opportunities ranging from high touch, low reach to low touch, and high reach and was used to develop specific services. CONCLUSION: This study identified varying needs around community engagement using an approach aimed at understanding the perspectives of a community of scientists. Implementing the framework enables reaching scientists in different ways and facilitates scientists' recognition of and engagement with opportunities.

Mirai Chatterjee: community action for women's health equity.

Mirai Chatterjee talks to Fid Thompson about overcoming inequity and tackling the social determinants of health impacting female informal sector workers through collective action.

Experiences and Lessons Learned From the RADx-UP Consortium Community Engagement Projects.

In this study, we used emerging community engagement frameworks to describe the structure and outcomes of a large-scale, community-engaged, research-to-practice initiative, RADx-UP. Qualitative methods were used to analyze survey and meeting data from 2022 for RADx-UP projects. Most projects had diverse partners, achieved moderate levels of community engagement, and experienced positive outcomes. Challenges related to engagement readiness and partnership functioning. These findings demonstrate that community engagement is measurable and valuable. However, additional support is needed to achieve the highest engagement. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S5):S405-S409. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307615).

A Translational Case Study of a Multisite COVID-19 Public Health Intervention Across Sequenced Research Trials: Embedding Implementation in a Community Engagement Phased Framework.

Through a COVID-19 public health intervention implemented across sequenced research trials, we present a community engagement phased framework that embeds intervention implementation: (1) consultation and preparation, (2) collaboration and implementation, and (3) partnership and sustainment. Intervention effects included mitigation of psychological distress and a 0.28 increase in the Latinx population tested for SARS-CoV-2. We summarize community engagement activities and implementation strategies that took place across the trials to illustrate the value of the framework for public health practice and research. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S5):S396-S401. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307669).

Engaging School Champions in the Implementation of a Research Study in Historically Marginalized School Communities.

Community engagement in research improves uptake of health interventions and health outcomes among marginalized populations. Researchers from school-based health centers serving marginalized communities in Miami, Florida fostered community engagement in COVID-19 research and health education through collaboration with school staff and student "champions" from June 2021 to June 2023. Evaluations completed by champions assessed acceptability, feasibility, and recommendations for improvements. Overall satisfaction was high among champions. We elaborate on lessons learned and future directions for this type of research collaboration. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(8):789-793. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307711).

The Physalis Improvement Project: blending research with community science: How community science can advance research: How community science can advance research.

The Physalis community science project shows how citizen science not just communicates with and engages people in research but also how it can inform and benefit the professional scientists.

Assessing CRISPR/Cas9 potential in SDG3 attainment: malaria elimination-regulatory and community engagement landscape.

Elimination of malaria has become a United Nations member states target: Target 3.3 of the sustainable development goal no. 3 (SDG3). Despite the measures taken, the attainment of this goal is jeopardized by an alarming trend of increasing malaria case incidence. Globally, there were an estimated 241 million malaria cases in 2020 in 85 malaria-endemic countries, increasing from 227 million in 2019. Malaria case incidence was 59, which means effectively no changes in the numbers occurred, compared with the baseline 2015. Jennifer Doudna-co-inventor of CRISPR/Cas9 technology-claims that CRISPR holds the potential to lessen or even eradicate problems lying in the centre of SDGs. On the same note, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mosquito-targeting gene drives (MGD) are perceived as a potential means to turn this trend back and put momentum into the malaria elimination effort. This paper assessed two of the critical elements of the World Health Organization Genetically modified mosquitoes (WHO GMM) Critical Pathway framework: the community and stakeholders' engagement (inability to employ widely used frameworks, segmentation of the public, 'bystander' status, and guidelines operationalization) and the regulatory landscape (lex generali, 'goldilocks dilemma', and mode of regulation) concerning mosquito-oriented gene drives (MGD) advances. Based on the assessment findings, the author believes that CRISPR/Cas-9-mediated MGD will not contribute to the attainment of SDG3 (Target 3.3), despite the undisputable technology's potential. This research pertains to the state of knowledge, legal frameworks, and legislature, as of November 2022.

Exploring existing malaria services and the feasibility of implementing community engagement approaches amongst conflict-affected communities in Cameroon: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Cameroon is one of the countries with the highest burden of malaria. Since 2018, there has been an ongoing conflict in the country, which has reduced access to healthcare for populations in affected regions, and little is known about the impact on access to malaria services. The objective of this study was to understand the current situation regarding access to malaria services in Cameroon to inform the design of interventions to remove barriers and encourage the use of available services. METHODS: A qualitative research study was carried out to understand the barriers preventing communities accessing care, the uptake of community health worker (CHW) services, and to gather perceptions on community engagement approaches, to assess whether these could be an appropriate mechanism to encourage uptake of community health worker (CHW) services. Twenty-nine focus group discussions and 11 in-depth interviews were carried out between May and July 2021 in two regions of Cameroon, Southwest and Littoral. Focus group discussions were held with CHWs and community members and semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders including regional government staff, council staff, community leaders and community-based organisations. The data were analysed thematically; open, descriptive coding was combined with exploration of pre-determined investigative areas. RESULTS: The study confirmed that access to healthcare has become increasingly challenging in conflict-affected areas. Although the Ministry of Health are providing CHWs to improve access, several barriers remain that limit uptake of these services including awareness, availability, cost, trust in competency, and supply of testing and treatment. This study found that communities were supportive of community engagement approaches, particularly the community dialogue approach. CONCLUSION: Communities in conflict-affected regions of Cameroon continue to have limited access to healthcare services, in part due to poor use of CHW services provided. Community engagement approaches can be an effective way to improve the awareness and use of CHWs. However, these approaches alone will not be sufficient to resolve all the challenges faced by conflict-affected communities when accessing health and malaria services. Additional interventions are needed to increase the availability of CHWs, improve the supply of diagnostic tests and treatments and to reduce the cost of treatment for all.

The influence of gender and temephos exposure on community participation in dengue prevention: a compartmental mathematical model.

BACKGROUND: The use of temephos, the most common intervention for the chemical control of Aedes aegypti over the last half century, has disappointing results in control of the infection. The footprint of Aedes and the diseases it carries have spread relentlessly despite massive volumes of temephos. Recent advances in community participation show this might be more effective and sustainable for the control of the dengue vector. METHODS: Using data from the Camino Verde cluster randomized controlled trial, a compartmental mathematical model examines the dynamics of dengue infection with different levels of community participation, taking account of gender of respondent and exposure to temephos. RESULTS: Simulation of dengue endemicity showed community participation affected the basic reproductive number of infected people. The greatest short-term effect, in terms of people infected with the virus, was the combination of temephos intervention and community participation. There was no evidence of a protective effect of temephos 220 days after the onset of the spread of dengue. CONCLUSIONS: Male responses about community participation did not significantly affect modelled numbers of infected people and infectious mosquitoes. Our model suggests that, in the long term, community participation alone may have the best results. Adding temephos to community participation does not improve the effect of community participation alone.

A designathon to co-create HPV screening and vaccination approaches for mothers and daughters in Nigeria: findings from a community-led participatory event.

BACKGROUND: Oncogenic types of human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection cause substantial morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. Nigeria has low cervical cancer screening and vaccination rates, suggesting the need for community engagement to enhance reach and uptake. We organised a designathon to identify community-led, innovative approaches to promote HPV screening and vaccination for women and girls, respectively, in Nigeria. A designathon is a three-phase participatory process informed by design thinking that includes the preparation phase that includes soliciting innovative ideas from end-users, an intensive collaborative event to co-create intervention components, and follow-up activities. METHODS: We organised a three-phase designathon for women (30-65yrs) and girls (11-26yrs) in Nigeria. First, we launched a national crowdsourcing open call for ideas on community-driven strategies to support HPV screening among women and vaccination among girls. The open call was promoted widely on social media and at in-person gatherings. All eligible entries were graded by judges and 16 exceptional teams (with 4-6members each). All six geo-political zones of Nigeria were invited to join an in-person event held over three days in Lagos to refine their ideas and present them to a panel of expert judges. The ideas from teams were reviewed and scored based on relevance, feasibility, innovation, potential impact, and mother-daughter team dynamics. We present quantitative data on people who submitted and themes from the textual submissions. RESULTS: We received a total of 612 submissions to the open call from mother-daughter dyads. Participants submitted ideas via a website designated for the contest (n = 392), in-person (n = 99), email (n = 31), or via an instant messaging application (n = 92). Overall, 470 were eligible for judging after initial screening. The average age of participants for daughters was 19 years and 39 years for mothers. Themes from the top 16 proposals included leveraging local leaders (5/16), faith-based networks (4/16), educational systems (4/16), and other community networks (7/16) to promote awareness of cervical cancer prevention services. After an in-person collaborative event, eight teams were selected to join an innovation training boot camp, for capacity building to implement ideas. CONCLUSIONS: Innovative strategies are needed to promote HPV screening for mothers and vaccination for girls in Nigeria. Our designathon was able to facilitate Nigerian mother-daughter teams to develop cervical cancer prevention strategies. Implementation research is needed to assess the effectiveness of these strategies.

New citizens for the life sciences.

For years, the general public have been helping scientists to track weather, count birds, and observe the universe. Now such citizen scientists are starting to tackle research projects in the life sciences. Laura Bonetta reports.

What are the barriers and facilitators to participation of people with Down syndrome? A scoping review.

AIM: To determine the barriers and facilitators of active community participation of children, adolescents, and adults with Down syndrome. METHOD: Searches were completed in five electronic databases to identify original studies about participation of children, adolescents (ages < 18 years), and adults (ages 18-59 years) with Down syndrome. Barriers and facilitators to participation were categorized into four factors: personal, social, environmental, and policy and programme. Findings were analysed and validated by a young adult with Down syndrome and a family member, using the public and patient involvement strategy. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included: eight with children and adolescents and six with adults. Of the 14 studies, 10 were qualitative and four quantitative. Most studies (n = 9) investigated participation in physical activities, while only a few examined participation in community/social activities (n = 3), daily activities (n = 2), and leisure activities (n = 1). The most commonly cited barriers and facilitators were the availability of programmes and specialized professionals, transportation, as well as attitudes and behaviours. Physical and psychological characteristics of people with Down syndrome and facilities were also frequently mentioned as barriers. On the other hand, the desire to stay active and personal interest in the activity were among the most frequently reported facilitators. INTERPRETATION: The participation of people with Down syndrome is mainly influenced by physical or psychological factors, the support and attitudes of parents/caregivers, and the availability of specialized programmes. Given the scarcity of research investigating the participation of people with Down syndrome in community activities, daily activities, and leisure, especially in adults, more studies are still needed.

Institutionalization for good governance to reach sustainable health development: a framework analysis.

BACKGROUND: This article explores the concept of institutionalization, which is the process of transforming ideas into programs and automating actions, in the context of health system governance and sustainable development. Institutionalization is a key mechanism for creating accountable and transparent institutions, which are essential for achieving health system resilience and sustainability. This study identifies the components and dimensions of institutionalization in the health system and its relationship with good governance and sustainable health development. MAIN TEXT: We applied a scoping review method in five steps. First, we formulated a question for our research. Then, we concluded a comprehensive literature search in five electronic databases for identifying relevant studies. This review has two phases: identifying the concept of institutional approach and its components in health system, and its relationship with good governance to reach Sustainable Health Development (SHD). The third step was study selection, and the 1st author performed data abstraction. The key issues which are identified in our review, related to the concepts of SDH, its goals, pillars and principles; positive peace; good governance; components of institutional approach components, and their relations. Finally, we summarized and organized our findings in a format of a proposed conceptual framework, to underpin the role of institutionalization in the health system to achieve sustainable development. CONCLUSION: Institutionalization is a key concept for achieving positive peace and good governance, which requires meaningful involvement of leaders, politicians, civil society, and public participation. It also depends on the conditions of justice, human rights, transparency, accountability and rule of law. In the wake of COVID-19, institutionalization is more crucial than ever for advancing sustainable development, especially in the context of low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

PPIE in a technical research study: Using public involvement to refine the concept and understanding and move towards a multidimensional concept of disability.

BACKGROUND: Disability is often an essentialised and oversimplified concept. We propose refining this while incorporating the multidimensional nature of disability by increasing the use of existing survey questions and their corresponding data to enrich, broaden and inform understandings of disability. METHODS: We combined patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) with focus groups and concept mapping to collaboratively map disability survey questions into conceptual models of disability with six members of the public with lived experiences of disability. RESULTS: Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three qualitative themes and eight subthemes through a series of four PPIE activities: (1) understanding concepts of disability based on individual experience, subthemes: 1.1-preference for the biopsychosocial model, 1.2-'Reviewing' instead of mapping survey questions and 1.3-comparing questions to real life; (2) consistency between understanding needs and implementing adjustments, subthemes: 2.1-connecting preparation and operation, 2.2-inclusivity and adjustments in activities and 2.3-feedback for improving activities and (3) real-world applications-targeted awareness raising, subthemes: 3.1-who, where, what and how to share activity findings and results, 3.2-sharing with human resource and equality, diversity and inclusion professionals. CONCLUSION: Members of the public who collaborated in these activities felt empowered, engaged and supported throughout this study. This approach offers a model for other researchers to cede power to the public over the research aspects typically reserved for researchers. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: We involved members of the public with lived experience throughout this study-co-design, co-facilitation, collaboratively mapping the disability or disability-related survey questions into conceptual models of disability, evaluation of the activities, co-analysis and co-authorship.