About Us

The Community-Based Public Health Caucus was formed in 2000 by community and academic partners across the United States to promote the practice and understanding of community-based public health (CBPH) in research, teaching, and practice. CBPH is an assets-based approach to public health where communities in partnership with public health practitioners and academics identify issues, mobilize resources, and implement strategies to solve problems.

The CBPH Caucus promotes the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) as a way to assure equitable relationships in community-academic partnering for research. CBPR in health is a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings. CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community and has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change to improve health outcomes and eliminate health disparities.*

The Caucus is a forum where over 450 community-academic partners come together, share results and lessons learned, develop and advocate for policies that support CBPH, and celebrate our successes. We have formed this Caucus to advance our vision by pursuing and engaging in the goals and activities outlined on this site.

* Definition developed and adopted by the Community Health Scholars Program based upon Israel BA, Schulz AJ, Parker E, Becker AB in “Review of Community-Based Research: Assessing Partnership Approaches to Improve Public Health,” Ann Rev Public Health 1998. 19:173–202.