Building Authentic Academic-Community Research Partnerships: Lessons from the Community Scholars Model

This seminar will explore strategies for building authentic community–academic research partnerships, drawing on more than a decade of documented success from the REACH Community Scholars model. Participants will learn how centering community expertise, sharing power, and investing in capacity building can lead to effective, sustainable research and real-world impact, with examples from the model’s current application within AMETHIST and the IMPROVE Centers of Excellence. The session will be led by Nicole Thomas, EdD, MBA and Sara Solomon, DrPH, MPH, RD, Co-Directors of the Community Scholars Program and the REACH Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. Together, they bring extensive experience advancing community-engaged research, implementation science, and capacity-building initiatives that strengthen partnerships between community organizations and academic institutions to address health equity and justice.