Objectives/Goals: Cross-institutional collaboration describes the development of cross-institutional partnership between two CTSI’s to overcome common challenges faced by both entities. Community engagement work discusses ways that Strategic Doing fostered sustainable initiatives to improve wellness in rural communities. Methods/Study Population: Through collaborative efforts, the Indiana and Penn State University Clinical & Translational Science Institutes were able to plan and implement community engagement initiatives to advance health outcomes among under-resourced populations in each of their respective communities. The institutions shared and utilized key principles of an educational series entitled “Strategic Doing (SD)” that provided instruction on developing and facilitating complex collaborations. Leveraging SD practices, both CTSI’s community engagement teams guided groups of local community leaders and stakeholders in meaningful, action-oriented partnerships to promote better health and wellness. Results/Anticipated Results: At Indiana CTSI, six staff completed Strategic Doing Institute Agile Leadership training. As a result, community partners in 11 counties implemented evidence-based strategies, including a community garden with cooking classes, a mobile kitchen for nutrition education, and wellness passports at community events with food samples, screenings, and educational programs. At Penn State, twelve staff (9 CTSI, 3 community partners) completed the same training. Of 8 post training evaluation respondents, 75% were extremely likely and 25% somewhat likely to apply the training to their work. Trainees are leading task forces that received CTSI funding focused on substance use, healthy aging, and public health infrastructure and health literacy. Discussion/Significance of Impact: SD trainees have reported transformative changes when facilitating community-academic partnerships. By using a scientifically based framework, task forces have experienced enhanced synergy, resulting in increased engagement and accountability that led to improved wellness in the community.
Hinshaw et al. (Wed,) studied this question.