Document Type
Report
Abstract
Executive Summary:
Wayne State University’s Guidelines for Community Engaged Health Research provide a practical framework for designing, conducting, and evaluating ethical, equitable, and impactful health research that engages community experts in projects that advance health equity in Detroit.
Purpose
Developed for WSU faculty, staff, and research teams, the guidelines support the meaningful involvement of community experts across all phases of research. They respond to common challenges in community-engaged work, including limited experience with engagement approaches, the need for reflexive and equitable practices, and the time and coordination required for authentic collaboration.
The document defines Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) as collaborative work with groups connected by geography, shared interests, or similar circumstances, with the meaningful involvement of those most affected by the health issue of study. It outlines how community experts can contribute throughout the research process, from co-identifying research questions and priorities, shaping study aims and protocols, contributing to recruitment and data collection, participating in analysis and interpretation, and assisting with dissemination, implementation, and translation for change.
Guidelines
At the core of the document are ten practice-oriented guidelines that ask researchers to examine power and positionality, build their own and community capacity, align projects with community priorities and benefits, establish clear structures for involvement, maintain consistent and trustworthy relationships, plan collaboratively for dissemination and translation, and evaluate both partnerships and outcomes, including documenting engagement for promotion and tenure.
Each guideline is accompanied by “Putting the Guidelines into Practice” actions, tips, and key references; the document also includes a glossary of terms and hyperlink to online resources.
Situated in Detroit, the guidelines connect research practice to persistent health inequities and social determinants of health, including poverty, housing instability, transportation challenges, and chronic disease. They underscore that CEnR is central to WSU’s mission and can help build the capacity to influence policy, institutional decision-making, professional practice, and other systems that shape health outcomes.
Disciplines
Community-Based Research | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Health Services Research | Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health
Recommended Citation
Leach, C., Thompson, H. S., Sass, A., Wren, P., Sneed, R., Dailey, R., Towner, E., Albdour, M., Caringi, C., Beavers, A., Hastert, T., Rorai, V., Lichtenberg, P., Outlaw, A., & Opara, I.N. (2026). Guidelines for Community Engaged Health Research. Wayne State University. doi: 10.22237/1783900800
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Medicine and Health Commons
Comments
These guidelines are a living document that will be revised to reflect emerging evidence, feedback from users, and changes in institutional and community context. Each release includes a revision date on the title page. To ensure you are using the most current version, please consult the record in DigitalCommons@Wayne State, where updated editions are posted and earlier versions are archived. This document is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), allowing others to share and adapt the content with attribution.