A Seat at the Table: Designing an Activity-Based Community Advisory Committee With People Living With HIV Who Use Drugs

Abstract

Recently, scholars have begun to critically interrogate the way community participation functions discursively within community-based participatory research (CBPR) and raise questions about its function and limits. Community advisory committees (CACs) are often used within CBPR as one way to involve community members in research from design to dissemination. However, CACs may not always be designed in ways that are accessible for communities experiencing the intersections of complex health issues and marginalization. This article draws on our experience designing and facilitating Research Rec’—a flexible, and activity-based CAC for a project about the acute-care hospital stays of people living with HIV who use drugs. Using Research Rec’ as a case study, we reflect on ethical, methodological, and pedagogical considerations for designing and facilitating CACs for this community. We discuss how to critically reflect on the design and facilitation of advisory committees, and community engagement processes in CBPR more broadly.