Community Partners

Among CTSI's major accomplishments is the building of sustainable relationships with community partners to improve translational research.

Kevin Grumbach, MD

Director, Community Engagement & Health Policy 

We collaborate with community partners to translate research into practice to improve well-being. We recognize the immense wisdom and experience that our community partners can bring to bear on our work and are committed to strengthening the working relationship between UCSF and community stakeholders.

Through the Community Engagement program, we support community-based initiatives and provide resources, services, and training to both UCSF researchers and community partners to develop meaningful collaborations between UCSF and its community.

Some of our initiatives in this area include:

  • San Francisco Health Improvement Partnerships (SF HIP): This initiative brings UCSF researchers together with local public health experts, government (San Francisco Department of Public Health, SFDPH), public and private partners, and community-based organizations to improve the health of San Francisco communities. 
  • Consultation/Linkage: We provide community partners and researchers with expert advice about conducting community-engaged research, recruiting diverse populations, translating research findings, and accessing community input, as well as assistance with linking community partners and UCSF researchers.
  • San Francisco Bay Collaborative Research Network (SF Bay CRN): The SF Bay CRN is a Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) for community clinicians interested in collaborating on research projects and learning more about current research findings at UCSF.
  • Training: We offer education and training in the areas of research evaluation and research dissemination for community-based organizations and researchers who want to share findings with community stakeholders.
  • Resource Materials: UCSF faculty and community members have developed in-depth guides on conducting community-engaged research. Some of the topics covered include: identifying and approaching possible community-based partners, building trust to conduct team science with multi-disciplinary teams, and compensating community-based partners.

Our Community Partners / Collaborators include:

  • African American Community Health Equity Council
  • Asian Pacific Islander Health Parity Coalition
  • CavityFree SF
  • Chicano/Latino/Indigena Health Equity Coalition
  • Roadmap to Peace
  • San Francisco Bay Area Collaborative Network (SF Bay CRN)
  • San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SF CAN)
  • San Francisco Health Improvement Partnership (SF HIP)
  • San Francisco Health Network
  • San Francisco Hospital
  • Shape Up Coalition
  • Sickle Cell Care Coordination
  • Sugary Drinks Distributor Tax Advisory Committee
  • Tenderloin Health Improvement Partnership
  • Walgreens
  • YMCA

Working hand in hand with the UCSF Center for Community Engagement, which serves as a bridge between the UCSF and Bay Area communities, we are playing a part in bringing together the skills and wisdom of both academic researchers and community stakeholders that are necessary if research is to have an impact on public health.