Building Trustworthiness in Health Care and Research: Disrupting Traditional Practices Through Authentic Community Engagement—Project ENTRUST

Introduction: Project ENTRUST is a mixed-method, community-collaborative, and community-grounded initiative at Duke Health aimed at co-creating a model for equity-driven engagement and trust-building in health care and research. Methods: Community members, Duke Health, and university leaders developed the 7-phase ENTRUST Model—a structured roadmap for trust-building through collaborative survey development, town halls, and recommendations for institutional change. Results: The ENTRUST process engaged 6167 survey respondents, over 300 community members and organizations across 6 town halls, and 3 focus groups. Conclusions: The ENTRUST Model offers a replicable framework for health care systems and research institutions seeking to build trust within communities.