Community Engagement Core

ABSTRACT (COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CORE) The Community Engagement Core (CEC) will serve as the focal point to build capacity of CHARMED members to engage in productive and meaningful community partnerships centered upon principles of community- engaged research (CEnR). The CEC will serve as a connector of communities with CHARMED investigators to

develop responsive, science-based, educational and translational solutions to community-identified needs and build the capacity of the CHARMED to conduct and participate in multi-directional and responsive community-engagement. The overall objective of the CEC is to serve as the conduit for community engagement

that creates synergy between all CHARMED Cores and communities to fulfill a shared mission of addressing community-identified environmental health concerns. The CEC builds upon existing partnerships focused on Maryland regional historical and ongoing challenges with air, water, and soil quality improvement, solid and

hazardous waste management, aging infrastructure, transportation, energy infrastructure, goods movement, and land use and development. The CEC will pursue three specific aims: 1) Build capacity of CHARMED faculty and community youth to understand, conduct, and participate in CER around environmental health concerns. 2)

Enhance existing and develop new multi-directional community partnerships to promote and elevate CHARMED as a focal point for CEnR of community-identified environmental health concerns around the Maryland region. 3) Respond to community concerns using two approaches: A) generate responsive, science-based,

environmental health education and translational resources for recognized environmental health issues; and B) foster and develop CEnR projects to address emerging environmental health issues. First, it will help build capacity for CHARMED’s members to train the next generation of leaders to conduct responsive, science-based,

environmental health CEnR. Second, it will enhance existing and develop new multi-directional partnerships that can respond to community-identified environmental health concerns. Finally, the CEC will use educational and translational resources and new CEnR projects to address these community-identified environmental health

concerns.