Abstract
This article describes the journey of a health equity research study that changed course due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the precarity of the population of focus. Although the mixed methods intervention and dance/movement therapy protocol did not transpire as intended, we gained much relevant insight from the 12-month process. We here highlight the original six-week protocol, recruitment efforts and important clinical observations during the recruitment phase, as well as a detailed synopsis in form of a case study of the one participant who completed the study. We also take a critical look at the limitations of clinical human research and raise the question when to pivot from or abort a project, keeping in mind what ultimately matters, the respect, value, and care of an individual. We close with implications for engaging in research with vulnerable communities.
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Funding
This study was funded by the Marian Chace Foundation. We want to extend our heartfelt thank you to Jane Wilson Cathcart, Lynn Koshland, Ann Lohn, Susan Kleinman, and Sharon Chaiklin for their warm and compassionate support and guidance throughout the entire process. Thank you also to Dr. Angela Grayson who provided consultation prior to the study and Cynthia Jones who offered wise words at the end of the study.
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Dieterich-Hartwell, R., Aubrey, R.D. The Reality of Vulnerable Research: Honoring Humanness Amid a Pandemic. Am J Dance Ther (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10465-023-09393-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10465-023-09393-6