Boards and Councils
In order to effectively hear the voice of the communities we serve, members of the Center for Translational Science Activities (CTSA) participate in the Olmsted County Community Healthcare Access Collaborative — a community-led coalition of service providers to the community. In addition, CTSA leads Mayo Clinic's community engagement research initiatives through the CTSA Community Engagement Council (Research). It is also closely linked with the Mayo Clinic Rochester Community Engagement Committee, which coordinates community efforts at Mayo Clinic Rochester.
Mayo Clinic seeks to ensure that communities do not feel that they must participate in research simply to receive services — a major ethical concern in community-engaged research. The CTSA works with the Community Healthcare Access Collaborative to lessen that perception, to determine what health concerns exist in our community, and find ways to truly partner and collaborate to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities.
CTSA Community Engagement Council (Research)
This council oversees and coordinates CTSA community-engaged research. Chaired by David Warner, M.D., director of CTSA Community Engagement, it includes representation from key functions within the CTSA and throughout the institution that have particular relevance to community engagement, including the other groups described in this section.
Although this council is focused on research efforts, links to education and practice ensure that when community concerns arise in those areas, they can be directed to the appropriate institutional channels.
The council meets monthly, and sponsors a variety of activities to educate and inform the research community about community engaged research, including regular presentations during CTSA Grand Rounds, a biannual Community-Based Participatory Research Conference (with over 150 attendees), and the annual Community Celebration of Research.
Community Advisory Board (CAB): Currently being formed, this CAB will help the council identify and prioritize community needs, connect investigators with the appropriate community partners, review and approve all research proposals for projects to be conducted in community settings, and evaluate the impact of research on the community (both positive and negative). CAB members will be compensated for their time.
CTSA Community Engagement Council
- Devise research strategies to meet community priorities that address the ethical complexities of this research
- Define and monitor metrics for community engagement and health outcomes
- Review and inventory proposed research projects conducted by Mayo Clinic investigators that occur outside of traditional practice settings
- Assist CTSA Education Resources Health Disparities group and Research Management in developing and deploying appropriate curriculum for researchers
- Coordinate research education in the community so that community organizations can function as effective partners in research
- Foster bidirectional exchange of information
Olmsted County Community Healthcare Access Collaborative
The Olmsted County Community Health Care Access Collaborative (CHAC) is a community-based multicultural volunteer coalition of over 20 health care-related service providers, composed of medical, public health, social service and other organizations from the government, private, not-for-profit and community sectors. Its members are a diverse representation of racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, religious and other groups that make up our community.
The CHAC works to identify and address significant issues of community health and care of the people in Olmsted County. It serves as the primary means by which we identify and work to address community needs. The CHAC emphasizes the needs of diverse and under-resourced populations, through defining priority projects around which member organizations partner to solve community health care needs.
CHAC Community Advisory Board: They assist the CHAC with setting the priorities for health improvement projects to be pursued; review and provide input to collaborative projects among Olmsted County health service providers as they are developed; and facilitate communication between this collaborative of providers and the community as the projects are carried out.
Mayo Clinic Rochester Community Engagement Committee
The Community Engagement Committee is an institutional oversight committee charged with managing the overall community engagement strategy and guiding principles that serve as the framework for Mayo Clinic Corporate Social Responsibility and meet the needs of the community and Mayo Clinic.
Committee responsibilities include coordinating community engagement efforts of Mayo Clinic's research, education, practice and public affairs components, and facilitating smooth interface with the community.
The committee is comprised of members from both the community and Mayo Clinic, and is led by Glenn Forbes, M.D.
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