SPOTLIGHT ON:
Getting to Know Community Science
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What we're doing to strengthen the science and practice of community change
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As you may be aware, Community Science provides capacity building services to government agencies, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. Individually and as an organization, we are committed to promoting and supporting the social justice, health, economic equity, and well being of all people.
But how do we do it?
We work in a collaborative and participatory manner to ensure that our services meet the goals of the participants and, at the same time, embody our core values. Community Science pays careful attention to the lessons learned from previous research and practice, and combines them with the experiences of participants.
As a group, we do not take much time to "toot our own horn." But in this month's issue, we've chosen to shine the spotlight on our own accomplishments -- simply because they help us to help our clients and partners.
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Resources for community based organizations from Knowledge for Equity Conference (K4E) now available online.
Last fall, Community Science hosted a two day conference for over 230 representatives from community based and other organizations to learn how to better access and use data to address health disparities. Using data to help plan and improve strategies as well as to advocate for action are essential pieces of how we are going to successfully address health disparities and promote equity. Community based organizations face many challenges in accessing and using data for these purposes. We are pleased to be able to make available the resource materials from the conference speakers, workshops, and other relevant guides that we have collected. You can access these resources here.
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Grants and Funding
Community Science wins Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for new product to promote cross-cultural and linguistic competency (CLC) to reduce health disparities.
Community Science proposed to develop a CLC program called JourneyStart, a research-based computer-assisted assessment and action planning toolkit that will help health-related organizations improve their cross-cultural and linguistic competency.
Thanks to this newly awarded SBIR grant, Community Science will work to establish the technical merit, feasibility and commercial potential of the prototype of JourneyStart. The intent of this new, cost-effective tool is to help health-related organizations develop, implement and monitor strategies to become more responsive to the needs of racial and ethnic minority populations that suffer from health disparities. Each organization that implements this assessment will receive not only results detailing its CLC but also customized recommendations that will help it provide more equitable and even higher quality care, as well as help it to comply with the Department of Health and Human Services forthcoming enhanced Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services standards.
This project is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the NIMHD/NIH/DHHS; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government."
For more about the SBIR program, please click here.
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 Awards and Recognition
Principal Associate Kien Lee wins Award for Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology.
As the Society for Community Research and Action's (SCRA) 2013 Biennial Conference, "Communal Thriving: Pursuing Meaning, Justice and Well-Being," came to a close at the University of Miami, Dr. Lee was called to the stage to accept the American Psychological Association's (APA) Award for Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology.
This award is presented each year to "an individual whose career of high quality and innovative applications of psychological principles has significantly benefited the practice of community psychology," according to the APA website. Dr. Lee won this award for her work in directing and implementing evaluations on institutional capacity building, intergroup relations, immigrant integration and cultural competency, as well as for leading numerous community and organizational assessments. She has worked with community-based organizations to transform research into practical knowledge to inform their change strategies.
Dr. Lee explains, "For me, this award represents my achievement as a community researcher and practitioner, and recognition by leaders in the community psychology field whom I deeply respect and view as role models. I hope to continue my learning and contributions by expanding and deepening my work in the immigrant integration area as well as by doing everything I can to bridge research and practice, or as we say at Community Science, 'connecting knowledge to social change.' " Dr. Lee is the second member of Community Science to win this prestigious award. David Chavis, Principal Associate/CEO is a previous recipient.
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New Associate
Community Science welcomes
Senior Associate
Oscar J. Espinosa
Mr. Espinosa joins Community Science bringing 15 years of federal contract management experience, and a passion for serving and strengthening the evaluation capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs). Most recently he worked as a Senior Research Scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago, based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Mr. Espinosa has spent most of his career evaluating federal programs that deliver services to vulnerable populations, including: delivery of language assistance services in public health centers and hospital systems, culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in managed care organizations (MCOs), and programs that deliver drug prevention education to recent immigrant families. His career began with extensive field research in the colonias along the US/Mexico border, and has expanded this work to successfully direct large, multi-site evaluation projects for various federal clients, including: the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Department of Justice (DOJ), US Census Bureau, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
As he reflects on his career trajectory - from conducting access to care research, to delivering technical assistance to CBOs, and now developing and managing evaluation capacity building services - he notes that this new chapter at Community Science will enable him to focus on his passion for assisting CBOs to better understand evaluation and properly document the impacts that their work is having on their community. He explains, "Once organizations get past their fears and anxiety regarding evaluation, they embrace the process and are able to absorb and learn the skills necessary to properly assess their work. It's an exciting process to be part of, especially given how important evaluation is these days in an era of more stringent federal reporting requirements and reduced budgets."
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Publications
Senior Associate LaKeesha Woods co-authors article for American Journal of Public Health
This article, entitled "The Role of Prevention in Promoting Continuity of Health Care in Prisoner Reentry Initiatives," evaluates the Connecticut Building Bridges Community Reentry Initiative. It presents an evidence-based framework for prevention that aims to improve the lives of returning citizens, their families and communities. The framework helps proactively identify barriers and environmental triggers that might threaten these individuals' successful reintegration. The recommended approach suggests the need for a more holistic treatment of health needs for these populations, as well as a heightened awareness of the risks related to their reentry into society.
Dr. Woods notes that the exorbitant costs of "health inequities, incarceration, and other social issues not only impact people of color, low-income communities, and other vulnerable populations, but everyone." Therefore, she points out, prevention is critical. "My hope is that the framework we provide in this article will increase connections to community resources, improve health, and reduce recidivism among formerly incarcerated individuals. I believe our findings also raise important questions that can stimulate further research emphasizing how a holistic continuum of care and support can help ensure a healthy, productive, and permanent return to the community."
For an abstract of this article please click here. Next month the full text will be available via the National Institutes of Health PubMedCentral web portal.
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APPOINTMENTS:
Principal Associate Ricardo Millett, Ph.D., joins National Advisory Council of The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas at Austin
The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at The University of Texas at Austin recently appointed Community Science's Principal Associate Ricardo Millett, Ph.D., to its National Advisory Council.
The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation's 10-member council offers critical guidance and expertise to staff on strategic direction, major grant initiatives and other projects using their varied backgrounds to enhance the foundation's impact in Texas. Council members have expertise in mental health, consumer advocacy, philanthropy and other fields related to the foundation's mission of promoting the mental health of all Texans.
For more information click here.
Dr. Millet notes that this appointment is significant as it aligns with his work, his mission, and that of Community Science. "I welcome this opportunity to share my experience as an evaluation professional for foundations and my passion as an advocate for social justice and equity. Mental health social and economic drivers - access to goods, privilege, and status in society- are related to the mental health of a population. The social research we do at Community Science can provide data not only relevant to therapeutic interventions at the individual level, but also to inform community leaders and policymakers about ways to improve the social and economic conditions to create preventative measures that promote mental health in our communities and society."
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Join Us!
If you are a motivated, conscientious professional
who can help us take the practice of social change through science and capacity building to a higher level, Community Science wants
to hear from you.
In fact, Community Science is currently recruiting for the following positions:
Managing Associate in Research & Capacity Building
(Washington, DC)
Associate in Research and Capacity Building
(Washington, DC)
To learn more about each position, or apply now, visit
the Community Science CAREERS page.
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Information Links
Knowledge is the key to understanding, and the links below offer informative resources from trusted Community Science partners:
Information By Topic Area
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Our New Look
Notice a change in the
design and look of The
Change Agents?
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About Community Science
Community Science is an award winning research and development organization that works with governments, foundations, and non-profit organizations on solutions to social problems through community and other systems changes.
To learn more, visit our PROJECTS page.
To discuss how Community Science can collaborate with your organization, contact us at 301-519-0722 or info@communityscience.com
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