Community Engagement Programs and Services | Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute

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African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Health Equity Advocates & Liaisons (HEAL) Partnership

People in a web with text 60+ Number of HEAL consultations and a paper with a pencil with text 15+ Number of Letters of Support.

Two hands shaking with text 100% of HEAL members who either strongly agreed or agreed that they felt valued as a partner and a clock with text 100% of HEAL members who either strongly agreed or agreed that HEAL meetings were an effective use of their time.

Hands in a circle with text 12 Number of HEAL partnerships and people inside a heart with text 300+ number of church-led community health events — As of July 24, 2025

CERI works closely with a group of AME Zion faith leaders who are trained research advisors that may be able to help you to gain further insight on developing community-engaged research projects.

Here are a few testimonials:

"I would like to express my gratitude for your time, feedback, and support for my research presentation today. The session today was not only helpful but also inspiring. I hope to be able to deliver good news about research grants in the near future. Thank you very much again. Please let HEAL consultants know my appreciation for their suggestions and feedback." - A Researcher after meeting with HEAL

"This meeting was very informative, and I appreciate all of the presenters that are brought in. I'm excited and can't wait to get out in the community and share the wealth of knowledge that has been provided to us." - A HEAL member

Consultation services

426 consultation requests received and 48.8% of researchers who have requested a grant letter of support from CERI have been funded

97.3% of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that they were satisfied with the CERI consultation. 100% of respondents said they would refer a colleague for a CERI evaluation. — As of July 24, 2025

The goal of our consultation service is to support meaningful partnerships between academic researchers and community stakeholders. Duke academic researchers and community stakeholders can request a consultation. CERI faculty and staff assess community-engaged research questions and needs and offer recommendations regarding existing resources, tools, other CTSI supports, education and training, and suggestions for potential partners.

E-library for community and research resources

Provides training, videos, and other evidence-based capacity-building tools for research teams and community partners to equitably and fully engage in community engaged research. Visit the eLibrary.

Sparks program

Brings together researchers, community groups, patients, and other stakeholders who work on the same health issue from different approaches across the translational spectrum to spark new and innovative ideas for community-engaged research projects.

Community Consultation Studios (CCS)

People around a table with text saying 76 Number of CCS

Smiley face with text saying 92.5% of community members who either strongly agreed or agreed that they were satisfied with the CERI CCS. 94.1% of community members who said they would be willing to attend another CCS.

100% of researchers who either strongly agreed or agreed that they were satisfied with the CERI CCS. 100% of researchers who said they would refer a colleague for a CERI CCS. — As of July 24, 2025

Community Consultation Studios (CCS) promote and support people-centered, community-engaged health research at Duke. Community Engagement Advisors (CEAs) are members of our communities who bring their own life experiences to the research process, working with study teams to improve the way health research is done at Duke.

Learn more about CCS.

Education and Awareness Trainings on Community-Engaged Research

CERI provides learning opportunities for communities, academic researchers, and research teams to build skills, develop trusting relationships, and increase knowledge on impactful collaborative research. Training and learning sessions involve considerations based on the core principles of Community Engaged Research for learners to engage in deep discussions on a topic relative to the field. Learners gain knowledge from a myriad of researchers and community collaborators on how to incorporate community-engaged research concepts into practice.

Examples from the Field

"So these community based events demonstrate a genuine commitment to serve the whole person, like the body, the spirit, and the mind by showing up consistently . . . there is a good cultivation coming from Project CHECKERS and being received by our community. So in conclusion, I'll say this is a model. Our partnership is more than a program, but it is a proof of concept that faith based organization and medical institutions can work together and build trust, break barriers, and have lives changed."
- Pastor Patrick, lead pastor of North Raleigh International Baptist Church, discussing their partnership with Project CHECKERS.

Please visit our Recorded Trainings on Community Engaged Practices to listen to the full session.

CERI hosts bi-monthly education programs to advance community engaged research (CEnR) in communities and at Duke. They provide a learning opportunity for communities and researchers desiring to learn more about community engaged research (CEnR) and support fostering partnerships and collaborations between communities and academic partners. Examples from the Field sessions also build the capacity of community-academic partners to collaborate to support the translation research process and learn from examples of best practice models in CEnR.

Population Health Improvement Awards

Identify and promote the most promising collaborations toward the development of a research question, and provide support to establish pilot data for community-partnered fundable proposals. Learn more about the awards.