Relational ethics and community impact in health research: Lessons learned from working alongside and in partnership with diverse communities in Peel Region, Ontario

DESCRIPTION OF SESSION

The conceptualization of community impact and representation in health research has traditionally been identified and reported by academics, service providers, and health researchers, who often fail to recognize how their research may truly impact communities in their everyday lives. In 2018, the Family and Child Health Initiative (FCHI) began through conversations alongside community partners and members in Peel Region, Ontario, to learn about community priorities surrounding child, youth, and family health and how healthcare providers and researchers could work in partnership with community organizations and members to co-design health solutions that were meaningfully impacted the community. Over the years, ongoing community conversations have supported FCHI to become a community-based participatory research program that centres the voices of diverse communities by integrating research practices such as community advisory boards, peer research assistant positions, membership on community response tables, and visual participatory and co-design methods. This workshop will share learnings from several of FCHI’s community-based projects, drawing on the concept of “relational ethics” and sharing how researchers need to prioritize relationships and care for others in their work. Through storytelling and interactive activities, workshop participants will be provided with useful tools and resources for working in partnership and alongside diverse communities in research to understand community impact.