Recent workshop one of many efforts to connect, listen, and collaborate with community partners
Celina Trujillo is not often found at her desk. It’s not because she is working on a laptop in a coffee shop or traveling around the world, or because she’s busy culturing cells, performing assays, or analyzing samples. As a research development manager for community-academic partnerships at the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI), Trujillo’s workplace is in “the community” – attending board meetings and events, meeting with collaborators, hosting workshops, volunteering, networking, listening, learning.
“It’s really just this constant flow of listening, learning, and connecting,” said Trujillo. “Sometimes we’re able to build collaborations quickly and sometimes it takes years. It’s awesome to see all the people involved, tuning into community needs and solving problems together.”
Recently, IHSI hosted a workshop specifically for community collaborators at the Martens Center in Champaign, called “Measuring What Matters: Introduction to Community-Based Program Evaluation” with Jenna Riis, a professor of health and kinesiology and an IHSI affiliate. The workshop was offered as a direct response to what Trujillo and others had been hearing from community partners – that this type of knowledge-sharing would be valuable for their organizations and the communities they serve.
“Working with IHSI on this workshop was an extremely rewarding experience,” said Riis. “I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with so many community members – everyone’s insights, questions, and enthusiasm made the session meaningful and energizing.”
Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with participants expressing increased confidence in evaluating the success of their programs, appreciation for the community-based location, and excitement for collaboration for research.
“Jenna skillfully blended learning with real-world application through interactive materials and thoughtful conversation,” said Caitlyn Kurtz, Director for the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, part of the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois. “It was great to see so many familiar faces in the room, from nonprofit leaders and business professionals to community organizations and social service agencies. I left with valuable insights on evidence-based program evaluation and several practical ideas I can immediately apply in my work. I look forward to participating in future sessions.”
Trujillo hopes to team up again with Riis as well as IHSI Affiliate Jacinda Dariotis, a professor of human development and family studies and director of the Family Resiliency Center, and others to plan additional workshops for community partners.
In October, IHSI partnered with the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity (CSGGE) and Graduate College Career Development for a lunch and panel discussion specifically for graduate students on community-engaged research. This was an opportunity not only to learn from campus experts about community-engaged research, but for students to connect with like-minded peers and gain inspiration for integrating community voices into their work.
“This event took shape when CSGGE Director Min Zhan reached out to IHSI to discuss collaborating on such an important event. She mentioned IHSI's strong record in creating and hosting community-engaged projects and events and thought it would be a great opportunity for collaboration,” said Brandi Barnes, an IHSI research scientist who works with many community-engaged researchers and partners, especially around issues of health equity and mental health.
The Community-Academic Partnerships portfolio at IHSI was formalized in 2019. The portfolio and its three foundational programs have all launched, developed, and succeeded with the expertise and efforts of multiple staff, including program leaders Emily Stone, Brandi Barnes, and Max Wallace, and IHSI business/operations and communications teams, as well as unit partners. The Community-Engaged Research Series was launched in Fall 2022 with the Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS) and College of Education, and now also includes the College of Applied Health Sciences, College of Fine and Applied Arts, and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. IHSI’s Community-Academic Scholars program was offered for several years in partnership with CSBS, and the Community Seminar Series is the result of a strong partnership with Illinois Extension.
These efforts are all driven and supported by IHSI’s campuswide position, its mission to address challenges in all areas of health, and its values centered around people, equity, collaboration, curiosity, and innovation. IHSI staff make it their job to understand the health research landscape, listen to partners, build connections, and find solutions – all critical components to fostering long-term and trustful community relationships.
IHSI stays connected with community partners through its programs, especially the Community-Academic Scholars program, as well as other formal and informal mechanisms. For example, Trujillo is a member of Healthy Champaign County, attending monthly meetings as well as helping to facilitate the annual Champaign County Food Summit, the Morissey Park parkrun, and Nurtured in Nature BIPOC outdoor wellness program. Barnes is part of the Campus-Community Compact Health, Wellness, and Resilience group, and is deeply involved with community health workers initiatives through training, research, and her work with the Illinois Community Health Workers Association (ILCHWA). She is currently on the planning committee for the annual 2026 CHW Summit to be held on the Illinois campus in January 2026.
Starting in Fall 2024, IHSI has also offered community collaborators an opportunity to formalize their collaboration with IHSI through affiliation. As part of the IHSI team, affiliates become engaged in our mission and have increased access to IHSI staff, networks, collaborative funding opportunities, visibility, and opportunities to collaborate with IHSI staff and shape new initiatives. Current affiliates represent organizations including OSF Healthcare, Trauma & Resilience Initiative, DREAAM, Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, City of Urbana, Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justice, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Champaign County Christian Health Center, and Healthy Champaign County.
“The affiliate program has been a great tool for integrating more community voices into our events and conversations where they may have previously been absent,” said Trujillo. “IHSI is working to be a leader in this area so that we can create pathways for other units to do the same.”
As IHSI continues its work to catalyze both research and translation, community engagement will continue to be an integral component to this mission.