Interest in health research based in and benefitting communities has surged in the last several years. Driven in part by recognition that research processes and benefits have historically often bypassed communities, there has been a growing effort to include community members in research structures and processes. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has further catalyzed this interest by requiring community engagement and collaboration in research as part of its Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award program.1 Furthermore, the NIH Director’s Council of Public Representatives has articulated several key principles needed to enhance research relationships with communities, among which are: 1) treating the public as partner in the research process; 2) sharing research results with the community; 3) viewing research as part of a long-term commitment to the community; and 4) valuing community partnership in research.2
