Reflecting on partnerships established and sustained over four cycles of a federally funded cancer prevention and control research program: lessons learned for community-academic networks

Introduction The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) is a national network which aims to accelerate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based cancer prevention and control strategies and interventions in communities, enhance large-scale efforts to reach underserved populations and reduce their cancer-related health disparities, and develop the capacity of the dissemination and implementation work force specifically in cancer prevention and control.Methods Our site has been a part of the CPCRN since its inception in 2002 with the exception of the 2004-2009 funding cycle. As community-based participatory research is a core value of our center, we examined the development and continued engagement of our community partners using a qualitative, inductive approach to identify emergent themes from focus group sessions with current and past investigators.Results Several key themes were identified from our analysis including long-term commitment to community partnerships and interconnectedness with other work, authentic approach, valuing our community as experts, and mutual benefits.Discussion With our results, we provide evidence of common community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles which have supported the sustained engagement with those racial minorities who are most vulnerable in our community. While future analysis is planned to utilize this same approach with our community partners, this work marks an important step in reflecting upon the approaches which have led to our success and how they can be applied in future collaborations to maximize impact and sustained health improvements.