Tribal–Academic Partnership Aimed at Eliminating Behavioral Health Disparities

Abstract

The Tribal–Academic partnership model described in this article uses Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches to foster collaboration between community partners and academic researchers throughout study design, implementation, data collection, interpretation, and dissemination. Literature highlights the importance of community involvement in research design and implementation, and the benefit of maintaining mutual collaborations to maximize impact and sustainability of interventions. Studies also highlight the essential need for research teams to be representative of communities served, as community researchers bring invaluable insight regarding Tribal protocols and community dynamics. This article articulates the long-term process of partnership development and highlights key components of the Tribal–Academic partnership that resulted in the identification and elimination of behavioral health disparities. Lessons learned that can be utilized by other communities and academicians interested in working collaboratively to reduce disparities are provided.