Goal

The overall goal of the OCRE is to reduce health disparities by engaging a broad spectrum of scientists and community partners in the clinical and translational research process, disseminating research findings, and stimulating the adoption of best practices and evidence-based interventions.

The mission of the Office of Community Research and Engagement (OCRE) is to build a sustainable translational research capacity by establishing stable community-academic partnerships.

Core Aim

  • To promote community participation in the PRCTRC decision making bodies (i.e., setting research priorities, reviewing patient recruitment and retention strategies, and advising researchers on the community relevance of clinical and translational research).
  • To disseminate research efforts and findings, stimulate adoption of evidence based practices, and increase public trust in research and research participation.
  • To design and facilitate training to PRCTRC researchers in community-based research, cultural sensitivity, and community recruitment and retention.
  • To provide expert advice and support to researchers in the conduct of research in community settings.

Main Activities

  • Community Engaged Research capacity building activities for researchers and for community based organizations.
  • Technical assistance, consultation and financial support for collaborative efforts and Community Academic Research Partnership (CAPs) development.
  • Translational research and Evidence Based Practices (EBP) promotion.
  • Collaborative research partnerships promotion and community research dissemination, increasing public trust in research.

Core Accomplishments

  • Research collaborations
    • 20 Community Academic Partnerships (CAPs) have been supported (12 community engaged, 4 Community Based Participatory Research, 2 clinical research initiated, 2 community driven)
    • Over 35 MOUs with community-based organizations and other stakeholders; 5 multidisciplinary science teams;
    • 5 institutional collaborations:
      • Third Mission Institute of the Carlos Albizu University

 

  • Agreement with the University of Puerto Rico- Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC) Office of Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the identification, adaptation and implementation of a curriculum for Community Stakeholders in Human Subject Research and guidelines for the evaluation of Community Based Participatory Research.
  • Partnership with the Puerto Rico Evidence Based Practices (PR-EBP) to support the dissemination of community evidence-based practices through:
    • First digital database of EBPs. The database includes over 400 practices and programs in the areas of substance abuse, cancer, neurological diseases, HIV, cardiovascular diseases, child maltreatment, home visiting/parenting, community violence and positive youth development
    • Enhanced access to the Puerto Rico Evidence Based Practices Website in Spanish
    • Peer-review publications on topics included in the database (Community Violence, Positive Youth Development)
    • Provision of capacity building to CBOs on program development.
  • Translation to Practice (T3) & Translation to Public Health (T4) Studies supported by the PRCTRC
    • Over 94 community studies have been supported by the PRCTRC.
YearT3 & T4 StudiesInvestigators Supported
2010-201186
2011-20121615
2012-20131716
2013-20141412
2014-20152118
2015-20162420
2016-20173426
2017-20184132

 

  • 9 grants have been awarded by CBR supported investigators, resulting in $447,816 of funding obtained.
YearGrants Applications

Submitted

Grants Applications

Funded

2010-201100
2011-201221
2012-201342
2013-201441
2014-201532
2015-201621
2016-201721
2017-201871

 

  • Dissemination Efforts

 

Print Summary

Our Services

OCRE’S SERVICES

Contact us for:

  • Developing Community-Academic Partnerships
  • Developing Evidence Based Practices within a Community-Academic Partnership Relation
  • Funding identification for Community Based Research

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES INVENTORY

One way in which OCRE accomplishes its mission of building capacity for sustainable translational research through the establishment of community-academic partnerships, is working in collaboratively with the

Puerto Rico Evidence Based Board (PREBB). The PREBB is a diverse group of stakeholders that are responsible for developing and implementing an agenda to identify, establish, promote, and disseminate evidence-based practices/programs in areas of health promotion and disease prevention for Puerto Rico. This body is being subsidized by the Puerto Rico Strategic Framework State Prevention Enhancement Grant (PRSPF SPE) (SAMHSA Grant No. 1U79SP018656-01).

A major goal of PREBB is to build and maintain an easily accessible, user-friendly centralized listing of EBPs in various areas of health concern, with detailed information about each program presented in Spanish (*Archive of Evidence Based Programs and Practices for Prevention*). OCRE’s contribution to this broader effort has been to produce comprehensive lists of EBPs in the four health priority areas of PRCTRC: HIV, cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular health.

Here you will find a thorough listing of EBPs in the areas of HIV and Cancer Prevention with helpful information to make informed decisions when selecting which program/practice to implement in your project. (Comparable listings will be posted for neurological disorders and cardiovascular health in early 2013.) This dissemination tool will serve as a resource for academic researchers, community-based organizations, and other community stakeholders to evaluate and choose the most appropriate evidence-based program for implementation in their service area or community in Puerto Rico, resulting in more culturally appropriate, effective and cost-effective interventions.

REQUEST SUPPORT

OCRE RFS: Each year, OCRE opens a Request for Support Opportunity (“RFS”) to promote community-academic partnership start up and development. A combination of technical assistance and economic incentive is offered throughout a period of a year, with the option of a longer period of technical assistance in those cases where the partners decide to continue working together beyond the funding period. Solicitation is open year around through OCRE’s contact personnel: ocre-prctrc.rcm@upr.edu

Staff

OFICINA DE ENLACE E INVESTIGACIÓN COMUNITARIA (OCRE)
PUERTO RICO CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH CONSORTIUM (PRCTRC)
ocre-prctrc.rcm@upr.edu
University of Puerto Rico
PO BOX 365067
San Juan, PR 00936-5067

MARIZAIDA SÁNCHEZ CESÁREO, PHD
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
marizaida.sanchez@upr.edu
787-522-9027 ext. 1608

EDNA ACOSTA PÉREZ, PHD, MSC
CO-LEADER
edna.acosta2@upr.edu
Cell: 787-672-0670
Work: 787-759-0306
Fax: 1-866-216-5811

MARIELA A. LUGO PICO, MS
CORE COORDINATOR
mariela.lugo@upr.edu

IDALIE HERNÁNDEZ GIERBOLINI, BA
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
idalie.hernandez@upr.edu
787-522-9026 ext. 1607