| Students in a community-based program design course at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) are learning about the value of strong relationships between researchers and community members.
The class, which is in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, includes a semester-long service-learning project at the client choice food pantry at Second Baptist Church in downtown Little Rock.
Keneshia Bryant-Moore, PhD. APRN, professor in the college’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, said the collaboration helps students gain experience working alongside community members in addition to providing a glimpse of how social and structural issues affect communities and the overall effectiveness of programs.
“This gets the students out of the classroom and into a real-world environment,” she said. “It’s important for the students to hear guest speakers from the community. But it’s even more impactful to see and visit the speakers in their own settings.”
The collaboration also allows the students to conduct mixed methods evaluation because part of the class curriculum is to evaluate the pantry’s services.
Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Ph.D., (right) shares a laugh with Alexis Clouser (left), and her classmates in the UAMS community-based program design class, during a project meeting at Second Baptist Church in downtown Little Rock.
Students Edward Ohene-Marfo and Alexis Clouser are taking the course.
Ohene-Marfo appreciates how it aligns with his goal of helping people have control over their own health. Through the class, he’s learned the importance of respecting and listening to community members.
“It’s not about what you think as the researcher,” Ohene-Marfo said. “Instead, it’s about speaking with the community and allowing them to let you know how they see the problem. It’s better to have a solution the community prefers, as they know what will improve their lives.
“Whatever solution that comes from meeting with the community is what will best help them. That’s something significant I’m learning through this class.”
Clouser, who aspires to enter the population health field, says that the class is helping her to gain a richer understanding of her field of study, epidemiology.
“I’m gaining a better awareness of the importance of connections and understanding the people who live in a community,” she added. “This class has taught me how to utilize input from community members in order to design and implement public health interventions that are effective.”
The students said the class project, which fuses service and research, benefits them academically and personally. They especially admire how the class and the collaboration address a community shortcoming.
“Food insecurity is something that I’m interested in,” Clouser said. “This class allows us to learn more about food insecurity in our local community and how it impacts the daily lives of those living in our city. Both the class material and this service-learning project enrich my perspective of my own academic research.”
Edward Ohene-Marfo and Brittany Wilkerson, both students in the UAMS community-based program design class, focus on a speaker while attending a meeting at Second Baptist Church in downtown Little Rock.
Second Baptist has arranged its pantry like a grocery store. Upon entry, each patron receives the same amount of play money to purchase food. Fruits and vegetables are free, followed by healthier foods. Unhealthy foods such as breads, pastas, sweets, processed meals cost the most.
Ohene-Marfo is a fan of what the store format and its pricing system represents.
“I like it because indirectly it teaches that eating healthy food is important,” he said. “This client-based pantry is making it practical for its clients to have healthy food.”
Overall, the class promotes students interacting with the people most impacted by research and outreach programs. The course is also an opportunity for students to learn why it’s important to listen to the community.
“Patient and community-driven research start at the heart of where the work is most needed,” Bryant-Moore said.
“Without the knowledge, expertise and opinions of patients and community members, researchers will likely not address — or answer — some of the most crucial research questions,” she said.
The project is funded by a UAMS Educational Innovation grant.
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