Advancing Community Health Together Through Partnership, Trust, and Shared Action.
The Michener Family Community Health Initiative brings Duke and communities from Durham and beyond together to improve health in ways that matter most to the people who live here. The initiative strengthens trusted partnerships among community organizations, healthcare systems, public health agencies, and researchers, and supports the shared infrastructure needed to turn community-identified priorities into action. Guided by community expertise, collaboration, and ongoing learning, the initiative aims to deliver measurable, lasting improvements in health while building a foundation for future community-driven research, innovation, and investment.
News announcement: Gift by Duke professor emeritus brings career in community health full circle
Why this work matters
Many organizations across Duke, Durham and beyond are working to improve community health, but these efforts are not always visible or connected. Greater coordination can help partners:
- Understand who is working with which communities and on what issues and build on existing relationships, expertise, and infrastructure.
- Identify gaps and reduce unnecessary duplication.
- Align Duke resources with community-identified priorities and develop collaborative responses that no single organization could advance alone.
What we aim to achieve
- Community priorities lead: Identify health priorities and develop solutions together, grounded in community members’ experiences, needs, and strengths.
- Trust and long-term relationships: Build lasting relationships that make real collaboration between communities and institutions possible.
- Better coordination: Connect existing efforts, reduce duplication, and help organizations work together on shared priorities.
- Sustainable infrastructure for measurable health improvement: Create the shared systems and learning needed for long-term, measurable health improvement.
How we work
The initiative builds on existing partnerships and starts with community priorities. Our approach:
- Listen and learn. Hear from community organizations and partners about their priorities, strengths, and needs, and how they want to work with Duke.
- Map what exists. Identify current community health efforts, partnerships, and expertise across Duke and the community.
- Connect and coordinate. Bring together academic, health care, public health, and community partners around shared health priorities.
- Co-design solutions. Develop strategies with community partners.
- Evaluate and improve. Measure what is working and use what we learn to strengthen the approach and improve health outcomes.
Where we are now
During its first year, the initiative is focused on building the foundation for future action. Priorities include:
- Listening to community and Duke partners (in-progress).
- Learning what helps or hinders partnership (in-progress).
- Mapping existing work and relationships (coming next, late 2027).
- Recommending lasting ways for partners to work together, and how to measure its impact. (coming next, late 2027).
Who is involved
The initiative is housed within the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and brings together collaborators from across Duke, which currently includes:
- Duke Health and the Office of Community Health
- Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship
- Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Looking ahead
The Michener Family Community Health Initiative is creating a foundation for enduring community-academic partnerships that support healthier communities, stronger relationships, and more effective approaches to addressing complex health challenges. By investing in collaboration and shared leadership today, we can build a healthier future together.
We welcome opportunities to connect with community organizations, healthcare partners, public health leaders, researchers, and residents who share our commitment to improving community health through partnership and collaboration.
Contact Us
Reach out to Raquel Ruiz to learn more about the Michener Family Community Health Initiative and opportunities to engage in this work.