The way we define the “community” has also evolved over the years. Initially the goal was to create a university-wide initiative focused on substance use and mental health. The project has been quite successful to that end; however, we belatedly realized that we should reach beyond our university community and engage more broadly with our local community. We realized that the same translational goals we set for our university community (raising awareness about substance use and mental health; how health is a product of our genes and environment; the critical role of research; giving our research findings back to the public; translating our research into improved prevention and intervention) were equally important in our extended community. Accordingly, the most recent COBE-related activities have focused on building partnerships that extend beyond the university, starting initially with local schools, with parents and family members of individuals experiencing challenges, and with service providers who work in the area of substance use and mental health. However, these efforts are admittedly in a much earlier stage and there is great potential to build them further.
