The Case for Community-Based Health Engagement in Research

Too often, researchers create programs that work well in academic settings but fail to resonate with the communities they aim to serve. This results in studies that lack the representation needed to understand how treatments work across populations, missed opportunities to address health disparities, and continued mistrust in the healthcare system by communities most affected by health inequities. 

When pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations seek to engage underrepresented communities in clinical research, bringing people opportunities to register isn’t enough—they must spark conversation through authentic community-based health engagement. This process starts with the community’s needs, values, and existing networks rather than with institutions. And it recognizes that meaningful research participation requires more than removing barriers—it requires building trust and understanding. 

The Power of Meeting People Where They Are

The barriers to research participation run deeper than simple logistics or awareness. They stem from historical injustices in medicine, systemic inequities, and a lack of engagement between researchers and communities. Traditional approaches to clinical research often focus on cognitive trust, like providing information to help people feel confident about joining a trial. But this approach falls short for communities that have experienced medical exploitation, exclusion, and discrimination.

Effective community-based health engagement recognizes that trust is both emotional and social. It’s built through consistent presence, genuine relationships, and a demonstrated commitment to the well-being of a community beyond just a single study. Participation should require addressing the entirety of the person within the context of their community, not just their potential eligibility for a specific trial.

Studies consistently show that community-based research approaches lead to higher enrollment rates, better retention, and more meaningful outcomes. When communities are genuine partners in the research process, and not just endpoints for recruitment, they become invested stakeholders in both the research and its outcomes.

Building Trust Through Grassroots Health Outreach

Community-based health engagement recognizes that trust isn’t built through one-way communication or promises of future benefits. Instead, it’s cultivated through reciprocity. A genuine exchange where researchers offer value to the community even before asking for participation.

This relationship might look like providing educational resources that address the community’s priorities, connecting residents with existing health services, or sharing relevant information in accessible formats that communities can use to advocate for their own needs. When research teams demonstrate that they’re committed to benefiting the community beyond their own data collection, they create the conditions for meaningful partnership. 

Grassroots health outreach thrives on deep, intentional listening and recognizing that communities are the experts on their own experiences and health challenges. Successful initiatives create spaces for community members to share their health concerns, discuss their experiences with health systems, and identify priorities for improving health outcomes. Then, research teams must show that the community input they gathered genuinely shapes their research approach.

This focus on listening often reveals insights that can dramatically improve research design. Communities might highlight logistical barriers researchers hadn’t considered, suggest more culturally appropriate ways to communicate about health topics, or identify “trusted messengers” who can help bridge the gap between research institutions and community members. 

Utilizing Community Networks and Trusted Messengers 

One of the most powerful aspects of community-based health engagement is its ability to leverage existing networks and relationships. Rather than trying to build outreach channels from scratch, effective community engagement identifies and partners with the people and organizations that community members already trust. Think local healthcare providers, faith leaders, or community organizations. These trusted messengers can communicate to their communities about research opportunities that feel relevant while addressing questions that researchers might not even know to anticipate. 

This network approach goes beyond individual relationships. When community members see their friends and family engaging with research, it creates a ripple effect that builds broader participation. This organic engagement is far more powerful than any advertising campaign or incentive program could be.

How Local Partnerships in Clinical Research Transform Outcomes

Despite growing recognition of community-based approaches, several misconceptions persist that can prevent organizations from embracing these strategies. Common myths include: that community-based research lacks regulatory oversight, it’s only suitable for simple trials, or it provides lower quality experiences to participants.

But the reality is drastically different. Community-based research sites actually maintain the same regulatory standards as traditional sites, often with enhanced focus on participant care due to their proximity to the communities they serve. EmVenio, a community-based site network, has seen more than 50% of participants in community-based trials come from minority populations, compared to the industry average of 20%—and their retention rates have reached 92% versus the industry average of 70%. This shows how community-centered approaches can actually make it both easier to participate and recruit people from a variety of backgrounds. 

The positive results of local partnerships in clinical research become even clearer when we examine real world applications. Take, for example, Acclinate’s work with Lightship on Alzheimer’s research. Before partnering with Acclinate, Lightship had only pre-screened 43 African American participants over a year. But by using Acclinate’s approach, combining community engagement through NOWINCLUDED with e-DICT predictive analytics, they achieved a 3.8x increase in participants identifying as Black or African American, showcasing the power of community outreach.

Similarly, Acclinate’s RSV vaccine trial work highlights how community-based health engagement can address health disparities in real time. Despite delays due to the pandemic, the clinical research organization’s targeted engagement strategy produced measurable results: In just two months, they referred 82 screened participants and enrolled 27 non-White participants out of 120 total. This was a major improvement in representation for an organization that had historically struggled with community engagement.

These successes demonstrate the power of Acclinate's integrated approach: the NOWINCLUDED platform builds educated, engaged communities ready to participate in research, while e-DICT provides predictive analytics to optimize outreach strategies and measure engagement effectiveness.

The Acclinate Approach: Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Community

Modern community-based health engagement leverages technology to enhance—rather than replace—human connection. Acclinate’s e-DICT platform shows how data-driven insights can support community partnerships by identifying engagement strategies and measuring their efficacy in real time.

The Lightship partnership perfectly showcases this use case. By combining the NOWINCLUDED community platform with e-DICT’s predictive analytics, Acclinate was able to identify the most effective engagement strategies for reaching African American communities interested in Alzheimer’s research. Tech didn’t replace human relationships. It amplified them and helped research teams understand which messages resonated most effectively and which community partners could provide the greatest impact.

When used thoughtfully, digital tools can help research teams better understand community needs, track the effectiveness of their engagement efforts, and demonstrate the value of community partnerships to stakeholders.

Addressing Health Disparities Through Strategic Community Engagement

Acclinate’s RSV vaccine trial work highlights another crucial aspect of community-based health engagement: the ability to address health disparities by focusing on the communities most affected by specific conditions.

RSV infections disproportionately impact communities of color. Enter Acclinate’s three-pronged approach: identify, engage, ask. By first assessing demographics near trial sites, then developing culturally resonant marketing materials and building relationships with community leaders, and finally implementing targeted digital outreach, Acclinate facilitated important community participation. Rather than simply focusing on the volume of outreach, Acclinate prioritized authentic relationships, creating the conditions for successful, and inclusive, trial recruitment.

The Advantage of Sustainable Community-Based Research Partnerships

A partnership model between researchers and community members allows for the community to become invested in the research outcomes. When people see that their participation can address health disparities affecting their communities, they become advocates for research participation in their networks. This organic expansion of engagement proves far more sustainable than traditional recruitment approaches. 

And the long-term impact extends beyond individual trials. Communities that have positive experiences with research partnerships are more likely to participate in future studies, creating a foundation for ongoing collaboration. This builds the diverse participant pools that pharmaceutical companies need to develop treatments that work effectively across different populations. It’s a win-win scenario. Community engagement doesn't have to be reinvented for each trial. Instead, established relationships and proven methods can be adapted to different research contexts, creating more efficient and effective engagement strategies. 

Ultimately, community-based health engagement should be a requirement for any research that truly serves public health. Instead of asking how to get communities to participate in studies, institutions need to ask how they can show up for the communities they aim to help.

Ready for a better approach to building community trust for your research initiative? Schedule a 1:1 meeting with our team.