Initiative to Address Administrative Barriers to Community Engaged Research at Duke
A key dimension of President Price’s Duke strategic framework is “Partnering with Purpose” which aligns with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s goal of improving the health of our communities by facilitating partnerships. To further this priority, an institutional effort is underway to grow partnerships for effective research collaborations between Duke and community partners.
Working Group Updates
Working groups, comprised of staff around Duke, meet regularly to tackle specific barriers. To view the un-curated list of barriers identified by Duke staff, faculty, and our community partners, click HERE
Problem: The process to pay individuals and agencies is inconsistent, burdensome, and with little written guidance.
Progress:
- Duke Finance recently launched PaymentWorks, Duke’s new vendor management platform that will allow electronic payments to our community partners.
- A PERC Community of Practice SharePoint site, integrated with a Microsoft Teams channel, is currently under review by our Duke administrative partners and is scheduled to launch by July 15th. This resource will only be accessible by Duke faculty and staff, and a companion site for community members will be developed in the future. This site will
- Serve as a resource for fiscal-related information pertinent to community-engaged research
- Include links to Duke University resources
- Provide tools, templates, and examples shared by teams currently performing community-engaged research
- Offer a platform for faculty and staff performing community-engaged research to post questions and seek guidance from each other
- Duke Finance has agreed on the definition of a community partner eligible for net 0-day payments and established an email address for submitting requests. This process will be piloted from May to July within select units, followed by a broader university-wide rollout.
- The list of procurement documents and instructions that require translation into Spanish has been finalized. The team is currently identifying a group to provide the necessary translations.
- The working group will now focus on the following priorities: 1) Developing guidance and examples of Memorandums of Understanding and Letters of Agreement, 2) Establishing basic timelines for all types of reimbursement, illustrating the flow through the system and where delays may occur, and 3) Addressing other types of community partner compensation, such as gifts and food.
- Working Group Contact: Lynn Sutton
- Problem: It was unclear when a community partner needed to be included as key personnel on a protocol, and the training required was cumbersome.
- Progress:
- The Duke Health IRB has clarified its key personnel policy to articulate when an external collaborator should be included as key personnel. https://irb.duhs.duke.edu/policy/key-personnel
- The Duke Health IRB has updated the training requirements for community partners https://myresearchpath.duke.edu/citi-training-community-partners
- The above training requirements and modules are available in Spanish.
- Working Group Contact: Rebecca Brouwer
Finalizing guidance documentation on
- transportation options available for community engaged research;
- allowable childcare expenses and associated processes;
- community-focused information on Duke Parking options
- Working Group Contact: Debbie Goldstein
- Combined efforts with the DOCR Inclusivity Working Group, and are currently focused on seeking feedback on existing translation policies
- Working Group Contact: Raquel Ruiz
- Problem: There is little guidance and consistent practice on how to know if an expense is allowable, and then how to budget for and process the expenditure.
- Solution:
- Tackling line items in Duke-based guidance on NIH Allowable Costs to Improve Human Participation and Inclusion. The working group has provided guidance for childcare and are working on travel/meals.
- Working Group Contact: Rebecca Brouwer
- Problem: The process to submit an application and obtain IRB approval for community-based studies feels complicated, as the process is set up for clinical trials. There is a lot of time spent going back and forth trying to figure out what needs to be included.
- Solution:
- Working on resources to ensure that research teams provide information required by the IRB staff and reviewers. This includes:
- An annotated iRIS form to detail what information, specific to community-based research, should be included in the protocol for rapid review (in progress)
- Sample consent template for community-based research (in progress)
- Decision tool designed to help research teams know what documentation will be needed in various scenarios (IRB documents, agreements, etc)
- Working on resources to ensure that research teams provide information required by the IRB staff and reviewers. This includes:
- Working Group Contact: Rebecca Brouwer
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