Engagement Quality, Partnership Processes, and Network Characteristics of a Community–Academic Collaboration to Advance Health Equity

Objective: To assess engagement quality, partnership processes, and network characteristics of a community–academic research collaboration. Methods: We surveyed community and academic members of a community advisory board (CAB) in Baltimore, Maryland (December 2019 to August 2020) to assess demographics, health equity work experiences, quality of community engagement and partnership, and collaborative networks among members. Results: Fifty-four members completed the survey (77% response rate). Members reported a median of 10 years of health equity work experience and 2 years serving on the CAB. Community (non-academic) members rated the quality of community engagement and most domains of partnership, except quality of decision-making, as high (~4/5). CAB members reported collaborative ties, on average, with 16 to 17 other members. Academic members had nearly twice the ties of community members. Community members’ number of ties and engagement ratings were not associated. Conclusions: In this CAB, collaborative ties were numerous. Although community members rated the CAB’s engagement and partnership quality favorably on several dimensions, additional efforts to enhance decision-making processes and members’ influence and outreach within the network could further promote achievement of the CAB’s goals.