About
Mission
The mission of the Center for Research to Community Impact (CRCI) is to support and conduct high-quality applied research, disseminate evidence-based information and build capacity among scholars to address the nature, origins, contexts, effects and elimination of disparities in education and health.
Vision
The vision of the CRCI is to eliminate disparities in education and health among populations underserved by these systems.
Core Tenets
- Conduct assets-based and community-centered research to inform research-based policy and practice.
- Build meaningful and enduring community partnerships and ensure that all research activities benefit community.
- Develop applied preventive interventions and practices that are research based and culturally informed, and conduct research on the dissemination and sustainability of these practices in the real world.
- Collaborate with adults in families, schools and communities as agents of change in supporting positive education and health outcomes.
- Integrate interdisciplinarity and multiple methodologies in all aspects of research.
What Sets Us Apart
Our success is rooted in deep expertise and proven approaches to generate sharable research that directly impacts communities, not just academia.
Our researchers carefully examine each stage of the prevention and intervention research cycle – from identifying risk factors, protective factors, and early health concerns to developing preventive interventions that reduce risks and promote health and well-being. They also assess innovative and cost-effective approaches to addressing health and educational challenges.
Each project is rooted in scientifically rigorous research, and draws on the collective knowledge, skills and expertise of the entire team of researchers and staff.
The Team Science Approach
CRCI employs a Team Science Approach – a collaborative research model that brings together experts from diverse fields to advance equity and success in education and health. By combining multidisciplinary perspectives and expertise, researchers address complex scientific and societal challenges, translating their work into practical, actionable solutions.
This approach enables us to devote significant time and resources to train the next generation of researchers – including undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early career faculty members and scientists – to confront physical and mental health challenges and promote overall well-being.
Our co-mentorship structures and experiential learning opportunities provide trainees with robust professional development and the capability to share their complementary skills and experiences with the entire team.
Scientific Equity
As researchers, we have a commitment to ensuring scientific equity, or a focus on equity at the core of all aspects of the research process (McNulty et al., 2019). Scientific equity calls for increased representation, accountability and engagement for the sake of producing research that is meaningful and impactful to diverse communities and particularly those who have been historically excluded in science. We value research that brings together multidisciplinary teams, collaborates in meaningful and transparent ways with community stakeholders, prioritizes community needs in study design and analysis, recognizes and builds on community strengths and disseminates research findings for social change. We are mindful of power dynamics inherent in every stage of the research process, from an examination of the actors who set the research agenda and design and carry out the study all the way through the dissemination and application of findings, with a particular interest in research that yields valuable and actionable practices, policies and/or recommendations. Scientific equity is consistent with and complements the methodological rigor and prevention science principles that are integral components of CRCI.