Community and Collaboration

Frontiers: University of Kansas Clinical and Translational Science Institute (KU CTSI) believes that conducting clinical and translational research requires collaboration with patients, stakeholders and community partners.

These individuals have unique perspectives and preferences that can have a positive impact on both the science and the applications of translational discoveries. A team approach that includes these stakeholders requires investigator training, community capacity building, bi-directional communication and ongoing attention to outreach to establish trust.

Community and Patient Engagement

Frontiers offers training to teach clinical and translational workforce investigators, patients and community members about each other and about best practices for engaged research. Investigators can get guidance on developing a patient or community advisory board, survey design, translating materials and reaching into community with the help of health and social service agencies. This core maintains relationships with over 80 community partners and hosts an annual engagement conference to assist with research project development and planning.

Special Populations

Engaging unique groups in research such as patients with rare diseases, individuals from historically underrepresented groups in research and individuals from under-resourced communities are the focus of this core. A special population workgroup is available to help advise investigators and link research teams to these groups or individuals.

Design Studio and Brainstorming Sessions

Investigators can request a “Design Studio” – a virtual or in person meeting with a small group of individuals tuned to a particular research issue or health question. These are opportunities to get specific, relevant feedback on research questions, recruitment strategies and expertise to inform research. Brainstorming sessions are coordinated by the Team Science directors and offer the chance for investigators to further develop their research question, receive feedback and seek connections to collaborators with needed expertise for their research team.

Team Science

To help community members and patients participate in research, this core offers community co-investigator human subjects training and boot camp translation events to offer capacity building opportunities. To help researchers and research teams, concierge services bring extensive team science contacts, prior collaboration and cross-campus associations to help investigators and community members link together. Frontiers seeks to consistently build diverse teams with community, participants, collaborators, community providers and practices to accelerate research.