A “RADICAL WELCOME” TO PARTICIPATE IN HEALTH RESEARCH
Sirry Alang
People with a history of substance use disorder, homelessness or incarceration, as well as minoritized populations, experience worse health outcomes than the general population. These inequities and the impact of social determinants of health are out of a person’s control.
Sirry Alang, associate dean of equity and justice and associate professor of health and human development, School of Education, explains that the problem is due, in part, to medical mistrust. This happens when individuals are wary of the medical system because of negative experiences at other institutions. It is also caused by a lack of similar voices in the creation of programs, policies and interventions.
“Our health should not depend on who we are, our circumstances or the color of our skin.”
“Our health should not depend on who we are, our circumstances or the color of our skin. But the people who make the policies and create interventions are usually the ones who are least affected by these factors,” Alang says. “In order to bring meaningful structural change, we have to ground our research and our practice in the lived experiences of those who have been harmed by structural injustices. This work requires a focus on their voices.”
Alang and colleagues have developed a first-of-its-kind tool to help facilitate community-based participatory research. The “Radical Welcome Engagement Restoration Model and Assessment Tool” can help researchers engage more effectively with community partners. The two-way tool allows them to assess their own roles in creating meaningful partnerships, and it helps community partners assess their own engagement.