Part Three: Inviting “the Wisdom of the Crowd”: Building Sustainable Models of Community-Engaged Research

Inviting “the Wisdom of the Crowd”: Building Sustainable Models of Community-Engaged Research 

CHAIR: STEWART, Kenda (VA) 

PANELISTS: DOWNS, Kiersten (USF), 

ONO, Sarah, 

BESTERMAN DAHAN, Karen 

LIND, Jason (VA)

 

ABSTRACT:

STEWART, Kenda (VA) Inviting “the Wisdom of the Crowd”: Building Sustainable Models of Community-Engaged Research. Engagement builds transparency and trust between researchers and communities, fostering a partnership in knowledge co-creation. Within the Veterans Health Administration, researchers and research centers implement diverse models to engage Veteran communities. As Veteran-engagement efforts spread nationwide, development of sustainable, productive relationships must address questions regarding how “community” is defined. Drawing from anthropological theory, VA anthropologists deliberate how to engage communities without falling into tokenism or homogenizing Veteran “culture.” Representing geographically distinct research centers, the panelists discuss building long-term, bi-directional relationships between Veterans and researchers and contemplate engagement strategies inclusive of the diversity that comprises the U.S. Veteran population. 

 

Session took place at the Society for Applied Anthropology • 78th Annual Meeting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 3-7, 2018