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What is the role of culture, diversity, and community engagement in transdisciplinary translational science?

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Translational Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Concepts of culture and diversity are necessary considerations in the scientific application of theory generation and developmental processes of preventive interventions; yet, culture and/or diversity are often overlooked until later stages (e.g., adaptation [T3] and dissemination [T4]) of the translational science process. Here, we present a conceptual framework focused on the seamless incorporation of culture and diversity throughout the various stages of the translational science process (T1–T5). Informed by a community-engaged research approach, this framework guides integration of cultural and diversity considerations at each phase with emphasis on the importance and value of “citizen scientists” being research partners to promote ecological validity. The integrated partnership covers the first phase of intervention development through final phases that ultimately facilitate more global, universal translation of changes in attitudes, norms, and systems. Our comprehensive model for incorporating culture and diversity into translational research provides a basis for further discussion and translational science development.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the amazing work of the numerous community partners that have informed and contributed to their research endeavors and increased awareness of the importance of culture and diversity throughout the various stages of the translational science process. This research was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants 1UL1TR001111 and K24 HL105493.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Justice, Safety, and Resiliencey, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Phillip W. Graham, A. Monique Clinton-Sherrod & Anna Yaros

  2. North Carolina Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NC TraCS), Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Mimi M. Kim, Melvin Jackson & Giselle Corbie-Smith

  3. Center for Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Mimi M. Kim

  4. Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Alan N. Richmond

  5. UNC Center for Health Equity, Department of Social Medicine, Department of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Giselle Corbie-Smith

Authors
  1. Phillip W. Graham
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  2. Mimi M. Kim
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  3. A. Monique Clinton-Sherrod
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  4. Anna Yaros
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  5. Alan N. Richmond
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  6. Melvin Jackson
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  7. Giselle Corbie-Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Phillip W. Graham.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Implications

Policy: Implementation review boards that include citizen scientists should be standard components for behavioral health research to facilitate effective intervention design, implementation, and dissemination.

Research: Researchers need to incorporate cultural considerations to inform specific community contexts and the individual and system level factors that may impact the design, implementation, effectiveness, and dissemination of the intervention.

Practice: Prevention scientists and the prevention science field should actively seek to engage potential community-based research partners in all developmental and translational phases of research.

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Graham, P.W., Kim, M.M., Clinton-Sherrod, A.M. et al. What is the role of culture, diversity, and community engagement in transdisciplinary translational science?. Behav. Med. Pract. Policy Res. 6, 115–124 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-015-0368-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-015-0368-2

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