Challenges and Facilitating Factors in Sustaining Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships: Lessons Learned from the Detroit, New York City and Seattle Urban Research Centers

In order to address the social, physical and economic determinants of urban health, researchers, public health practitioners, and community members have turned to more comprehensive and participatory approaches to research and interventions. One such approach, community-based participatory research (CBPR) in public health, has received considerable attention over the past decade, and numerous publications have described theoretical underpinnings, values, principles and practice. Issues related to the long-term sustainability of partnerships and activities have received limited attention. The purpose of this article is to examine the experiences and lessons learned from three Urban Research Centers (URCs) in Detroit, New York City, and Seattle, which were initially established in 1995 with core support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The experience of these Centers after core funding ceased in 2003 provides a case study to identify the challenges and facilitating factors for sustaining partnerships. We examine three broad dimensions of CBPR partnerships that we consider important for sustainability: (1) sustaining relationships and commitments among the partners involved; (2) sustaining the knowledge, capacity and values generated from the partnership; and (3) sustaining funding, staff, programs, policy changes and the partnership itself. We discuss the challenges faced by the URCs in sustaining these dimensions and the strategies used to overcome these challenges. Based on these experiences, we offer recommendations for: strategies that partnerships may find useful in sustaining their CBPR efforts; ways in which a Center mechanism can be useful for promoting sustainability; and considerations for funders of CBPR to increase sustainability. Israel, Lichtenstein, and McGranaghan are with the University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Krieger and Ciske are with the Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit, Public Health—Seattle & King Country, Seattle, WA, USA; Vlahov is with the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Foley is with the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mt. Sinai Medical School, New York, NY, USA; Fortin is City Research Scientist, New York City Department of Health, New York, NY, USA; Guzman is with the Community Health and Social Services, Inc., Detroit, MI, USA; Palerno is with the Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Tang is with the Aging and Adult Services Company, Asian Counseling and Referral Services, Seattle, WA, USA. The first three authors are the Principal Investigators of the three Urban Research Centers. The other coauthors from the three Centers are listed in alphabetical order. See the acknowledgements at the end for a list of all of the partner organizations involved.