Module 5:  Research and Health Equity

1. "Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR): Towards Equitable Involvement of Community in Psychology Research"

(Collins et al., 2018, American Psychologist)

• Inclusive Framework – CBPR centers the knowledge, needs, and priorities of communities in the research process, promoting co-learning and mutual benefit.

• Cultural Humility & Identity – Emphasizes reflexivity and cultural humility as key to dismantling power imbalances in researcher–community relationships.

• Ethical & Practical Collaboration – Encourages shared decision-making, long-term trust-building, and co-ownership of the research process and its outcomes.

• Capacity Building – Aims to enhance both scientific knowledge and local community strengths through inclusive partnerships.

• Implication for Teaching – Faculty can model CBPR by embedding community engagement in research design, ethics discussions, and course assignments.

2. "Decolonial Framework for Reflexivity and Positionality in Global Health Research"

(Naidu, Gingell, & Zaidi, 2024, Global Health Promotion)

• Context and Accountability – Calls for reflexivity in both global and local research contexts, with priority on accountability to communities rather than only to funders or institutions.

• Identity and Positionality – Encourages researchers to interrogate their own identities, power, and worldview to avoid reinforcing colonial hierarchies in research settings.

• Procedural vs. Practical Ethics – Critiques how traditional IRBs may uphold colonial standards of ethics; urges alignment with local, community-defined ethical norms.

• Disrupting Epistemic Dominance – Argues for dismantling Euro-American research assumptions by supporting diverse, situated knowledges and community epistemologies.

• Implication for Teaching – Promotes incorporating positionality, decolonial ethics, and reflexive methods into student research training and academic mentorship.