The Patient and Community Engagement in Research (PaCER) program facilitates engagement between academic, clinical, patient, and community partners across the state to ensure that community input informs research; that research addresses the priorities and needs of the communities it serves; and that underrepresented populations are equitably involved in the research process.
Our engagement services support all phases of health research projects, from conceptualization to dissemination, and include the following:
Consultations
Our faculty and staff are available to meet with researchers and patient and community partners to consult on a variety of engagement topics. Examples include: best practices for community-engaged research, including measurements and tools; guidance for identifying and engaging with diverse communities; review of grant proposals and budgets for community-engaged research; and connecting researchers and partners who share common interests. Request a consultation with a member of the PaCER team.
Study Support
PaCER offers a variety of engaged research services to study teams. These services, listed below, are explained in detail on our Engaged Research Services list (pdf).
Billable services are charged at a rate of $70/hour during business hours (M-F 8am-5pm) and $95/hour after business hours. Before billable work can begin, NC TraCS requires a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the agreed upon scope of work, timeline, and billing/invoicing.
- Community Feedback Sessions: Our trained staff are available to facilitate Community Feedback Sessions for researchers interested in obtaining patient and community partner input on the design, implementation, or dissemination of a research project. These sessions last 1.5-2 hours and aim to elicit authentic and constructive feedback from a small group of partners. For more information, view the Community Feedback Sessions (pdf).
- Advisory Board Mentorship: We are available to mentor your team throughout the development and implementation of your advisory board. We can provide guidance on recruitment and engagement plans, member onboarding and offboarding, methods for engaging and supporting members, meeting planning and facilitation, and document and process design.
- Latine/Spanish Speaker Review: A Community Review Board of Spanish-speaking, Latine community members are available to review and provide feedback on flyers, survey instruments, and other study materials to ensure linguistic accuracy and cultural relevance.
- Charrettes: The Charrette program offers facilitated consultation sessions for community-academic partnerships interested in strengthening their research approach, engaging new partners, or building their research partnership.
