Research Ethics Reimagined Episode Six “Connecting Communities and Researchers with Caleila Burrell, Allison Rusgo, and Amy Carroll-Scott, PhD”

In this episode of PRIM&R's podcast, "Research Ethics Reimagined," we explore the Promise Zone Research Connection (PZRC) and its Community Research Review Board (CRRB) in West Philadelphia. Our guests are Caleila Burrell , Project Coordinator for the PZRC and West Philadelphia resident; Allison Rusgo, Associate Clinical Professor at Drexel University and doctoral candidate at the School of Public Health; and Dr. Amy Carroll-Scott, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Health and Prevention at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. The transcript for this episode can be found here.

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Discussion Questions

1.) Community-Led Research Review

• Carroll-Scott explains that traditional IRBs are not set up to assess community-level risks or track geographic concentrations of research. How might research ethics review processes be adapted to address these community-level concerns?

• Burrell describes the CRRB as a way to use "research as advocacy." How might this approach to research review and community engagement impact the relationship between researchers and communities?

2.) Building Trust and Partnerships

• The PZRC and CRRB work to build relationships between researchers, community-based organizations, and residents. What strategies have they found effective in fostering these connections and building trust?

• Rusgo mentions that the CRRB has developed its own evaluative criteria for reviewing research proposals. How might these community-developed criteria influence the way research is designed and conducted in the Promise Zone?

3.) The Future of Community-Engaged Research

• Carroll-Scott describes how researchers who engage with the CRRB early in their process receive valuable feedback that improves their grant applications. What institutional changes might help encourage earlier researcher engagement with community review boards?

• As more Community Research Review Boards are established, what challenges and opportunities do you foresee in integrating these bodies into the broader research ethics landscape?

Key Terms and Acronyms

Promise Zone: A federal place-based initiative designated by the Obama administration to address challenges faced by people living in deep and persistent poverty.

Community Research Review Board (CRRB): A community-led body that reviews research proposals to ensure they benefit and protect local residents.

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR): A collaborative approach to research that equitably involves community members in all aspects of the research process.

Institutional Review Board (IRB): A committee that reviews and monitors research involving human participants to ensure ethical conduct.

Additional Resources

• Promise Zone Research Connection - Information about the PZRC at Drexel University.

• Community-Campus Partnerships for Health - Organization promoting health equity and social justice through partnerships between communities and academic institutions.

• Urban Health Collaborative at Drexel University - Research center focused on improving health in cities.

• PRIM&R's Research Ethics Timeline - A resource for exploring the milestones of research ethics.