Community Partnered Research Network (CPRN)

The mission of the Community Partnered Research Network (CPRN) is to support and catalyze community-partnered and community-driven research, as well as the translation of that research into action that promotes improvements in population health and health equity.

The goals of the CPRN include designing and implementing a sustainable structure and processes to encourage and enhance collaboration between academic institutions and community members and organizations as equal partners. This collaboration seeks to understand and address the priority health challenges faced by the community while advancing health equity.

The CPRN operates under a community-led and governed model, which consists of two administrative components:

  • Executive Leadership Committee (ELC): A 13-member governing committee consisting of six academic representatives from Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and Durham Technical Community College, along with representatives from seven community organizations.

  • Community Clinical Research Organization (CCRO): A team of clinical research faculty and staff who possess the expertise and resources required to conduct community-partnered research.

What We Do

  • Develop toolkits to guide community partners in research administration.

  • Solicit, assess, and select community-partnered research projects that address priority issues identified in the Durham County Community Health Assessment and the Durham Comprehensive Aging Plan.

  • Offer expert support to chosen community-partnered research teams in planning and implementing their initiatives, identifying funding opportunities, and navigating research administration challenges.

  • Provide essential resources for research operations, including access to electronic platforms and tools, training, study coordination, and study design and analysis.

  • Collaborate with stakeholders to identify and address obstacles and enablers of community-partnered research participation.

  • Foster enduring partnerships that are mutually beneficial to community-based organizations, healthcare service providers, and the academic research community.

  • Engage in synergistic collaboration with other community-partnered research initiatives that align with the CPRN vision and approach to enhance the impact of community-partnered research.

  • Provide a platform for the consistent dissemination of research findings to facilitate the translation of research into actionable strategies that promote health and health equity.

Would you like to get involved? Send us an email: CPRN@duke.edu


CPRN Office

John T. Mitchell, PhD
Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
CPRN Faculty Director
john.mitchell@duke.edu

Elizabeth Erickson, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health
CPRN Faculty Associate Director
elizabeth.erickson@duke.edu

K.K. Lam, PhD
Clinical Trials Project Leader III, CTSI
kk.lam@duke.edu

Jenifer Allen
Research Program Leader II, CTSI
jenifer.allen@duke.edu

Sydney Sullivan, MPH
Research Analyst II, CTSI
sydney.sullivan@duke.edu