Now in its third year, the Community-Engaged Research Series offers events throughout the academic year to address needs and challenges specific to community-engaged research. The 2025-26 series brings new topics and perspectives that will both educate researchers who are new to community-engaged work and reinvigorate experienced researchers.
The series will again be organized by community-engaged research leaders at the College of Education, Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS), and Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with the addition of new co-hosts College of Applied Health Sciences, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and School of Social Work, and in collaboration with the College of Fine and Applied Arts.
The addition of the new partners provides increased visibility and support for the series, as well as deeper knowledge about researcher needs in each college.
“We’re getting fresh ideas about what topics to cover in the series,” said Elsa Augustine, Assistant Director of Public Policy and Research at CSBS. “With the perspectives of those embedded in various colleges, we’re planning sessions that really capture the interests of faculty across campus.”
Community-engaged researchers at Illinois can expect two fall events and two spring events covering a range of topics. The first session, held in person on September 30, 2025, will set the tone for the series. Presenters will acknowledge the moment in which community-engaged researchers and partners find themselves and discuss why community-engaged research is even more critical now than ever for building trust with both collaborators and the public.
The three additional events will cover the following topics:
- Sustainable partnership development, Nov. 13, Zoom
- Research communication and dissemination, Feb. 11, Zoom
- Historical contexts for community-engaged research, Mar. 27, in person
“We asked the question ‘What are the big topics your faculty are talking about in this space?’ and brainstormed a lot of great ideas," said Emily Stone, Director of Public Engagement at the College of Education. “We decided to focus on four really high-quality events that will appeal to researchers from various disciplines and at any stage in their careers.”
More than 220 individuals registered for the 2024-25 series, which included a fall networking lunch, a panel discussion offering insights and best practices for building and sustaining meaningful research partnerships with K-12 schools, and a training, presentation, and discussion on community-engaged scholarship with Dr. Diane Doberneck from Michigan State University.
The inaugural series topics included PCORI funding, navigating the IRB, addressing inequity, and the first publishing event with Dr. Diane Doberneck. Available recordings can be found on the IHSI webinars page.
Celina Trujillo, Research Development Manager at IHSI, sees the upcoming series as a new opportunity to bring together researchers who are passionate about their communities and about building a better future.
“There’s a lot of hope and inspiration in this work. We really want the series to reflect that, and to remind participants of how much their work matters,” Trujillo said.
The host units will share details and registration information on each session as they are available. Subscribe to the IHSI email list and the CSBS email list to receive updates.