More than 60 faculty, staff and students joined Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., who discussed health care reform and community-linked research, and Isaac Prilleltensky, Ph.D., dean of  the School of Education, April 19 at the University of Miami BankUnited Center for a Collaborative Research Exchange Forum (CREF) on opportunities and challenges in community-linked research.

Attendees also had the chance to informally discuss their ideas to enhance community engagement with Thomas J. LeBlanc, Ph.D., executive vice president and provost.

Richard Bookman, Ph.D., vice provost for research and executive dean for research and research training at the Miller School, opened the event by touting the value of community partnerships.

"Community partnership is an integral part of our mission and a cornerstone of our research activities,'' he said. "This program reflects the diversity of disciplines and approaches actively being pursued at the University of Miami."

Nilda Peragallo, Dr.P.H., dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies and principal investigator at the Center of Excellence for Hispanic Health Disparities Research (El Centro), welcomed participants, noting, "This is the first time we are bringing together an interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Miami to share experiences and challenges related to community-linked research activities."

Faculty and researchers who partner with the community also made presentations, including the Miller School's Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology and public health, and director of the Disparities and Community Outreach Core at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Olveen Carrasquillo, M.D., chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine and director of the Community Engagement Component of UM's Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Other presenters included Mihoko Suzuki, Ph.D., professor of English and director of the Center for the Humanities; Joanna Lombard, M.Arch, professor of architecture; Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D., School of Education associate dean for research and director of the Dunspaugh-Dalton Community and Educational Well-Being Research Center; Rod Wellens, Ph.D., professor and chair of psychology; and Victoria Mitrani, Ph.D., professor of nursing and health studies and co-principal investigator and research core director of El Centro.

To conclude the forum, Robin Bachin, Ph.D., associate professor of history and director of UM's Civic Engagement Project, and Daniella Levine, founder and president/CEO of the Human Services Coalition, served as panelists in a discussion exploring the next steps to increase community-based participatory research and other community-based research activity across the University.

CREF is a series of workshops organized by the Office of Research to promote interdisciplinary research collaboration and facilitate innovative scholarly activity though faculty presentations and panel discussions. The Office of Research has previously sponsored three CREFs on biomedical and engineering topics. For more information on CREF, please contact Jennifer McCafferty-Cepero, Ph.D., at jmccafferty@med.miami.edu.