Community–Academic Partnerships for Early Childhood Health

Community-Academic Partnerships for Early Childhood Health is the first volume in the Interdisciplinary Community-Engaged Research for Health series. In this first volume, series editors Farrah Jacquez and Lina Svedin have invited academics around the country who participated in the first cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJ) prestigious, innovative Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program to share results from their efforts. These three-person teams composed of two researchers and one community partner used applied research to create measurable change in healthcare and health outcomes for young children. Spanning disciplines from public health, psychology, policy, economics, medicine, nutrition and geography, academics teamed up with community partners, including medical practitioners, nonprofit leaders, and policymakers to create action and community benefit through research, intervention, and policy development. From research on the nonmedical needs of women in the Mississippi Delta, WIC programs in Puerto Rico, and children’s advocacy in Cincinnati, Ohio, the contributors describe seven cases depicting valuable stepping stones for academic and community partners to collaborate and create a culture of health in the United States.