A 2017 presentation at the Bonner Foundation Summer Leadership Foundation, Lindsey Wagner College, KY. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a challenging undertaking for any team. Most professors avoid this kind of work because it is time-consuming and implies deep, sustained relationships that are hard to keep up with because of competing academic demands on professors and students. Our projects have helped bridge differences between campuses and marginalized, underserved refugee-immigrant communities. For example, the Montagnard Hypertension Research Project involved more than 30 Montagnard high school and college students from every tribe and representing multiple colleges and universities. The “give back” to the community included community health fairs, direct health assistance to elders and women, and mentoring and guidance for youth navigating education and career choices. Additionally, about 70 other students from very diverse backgrounds and majors participated in this major project that lasted from 2013-2018.
