NAPCRG continued its tradition of inspiring and sharing best practices in community-based research at its recent Practice Based Research Network (PBRN) Conference in June 2021. Generating new knowledge by conducting research in communities is widely recognized as necessary to achieve better health for populations. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) continued its sponsorship of this important conference through a conference grant to NAPCRG.
With a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, over 150 conference attendees met virtually to discuss the work of peers in nearly 50 different oral and poster presentations. New this year, the event also featured virtual workshops, in-depth dives into topics such as patient and stakeholder engagement. The high level of engagement was evidenced by the large numbers of attendees at each virtual session.
Plenary speakers inspired rich dialogue, learning and self-reflection:
Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, from the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke School of Medicine; Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Clinical Translational Science Institute. Her presentation, “The Promise of Equity and Diversity in Clinical Research,” provided an overview of health disparities and the lack of diverse participation in biomedical and clinical research, with particular focus on the role of implicit or unconscious bias.
Andrew Pinto, MD, CCFP, FRCPC, MSc, founder and director of The Upstream Lab; scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St Michael’s Hospital; and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. His presentation, “Can Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Initiatives be Transformative in Research?” considered whether current practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion will transform research to address problems like systemic racism and pointed to recommendations for change.
A panel of talented leaders from US and Canadian funding agencies discussed health equity research funding with an emphasis on the role that PBRNs might play in responding to the agencies funding initiatives: Rick Glazier, MD; CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research; George A. Mensah, MD FACC, FAHA; NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; Eliseo Perez-Stable, MD; NIH Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
The 10-member PBRN planning committee reviewed over 60 abstracts that covered 15 different themes: behavioral health, chronic care management, clinical practice, community-engaged research, dissemination/implementation, health disparities, infrastructure/network operations, practice facilitation/quality improvement, prevention, proposal development/study design/methods, shared decision making/collaborative deliberation, stakeholder engagement, technology, and training. The schedule allowed for live, interactive sessions, including informal networking over coffee chats and a virtual poster hall.
To enhance the experience, some posters were featured in moderated discussions so that attendees could dive deeper into the subject matter and research methodologies. Focused on partnership, Isabel Rodrigues, MD, MOD; Marie Authier, PhD; Julie Masse, MD; and Myriam St. Pierre were recognized as “best poster” in their presentation, entitled “Examples of Partnership Between Clinical Collaborators and Researchers: Getting Knowledge Users to Integrate Research Results.”
The American Academy of Family Physicians awarded the conference 10.00 continuing medical education credits.
Stay tuned to NAPCRG’s website for information about the 2022 PBRN Conference, which is scheduled to be held in June in Bethesda, Maryland.
Funding for this conference is made possible [in part] by grant 1R13HS027067-02 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the United States Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.
- © 2021 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
