Community-Academic Partnerships for Early Childhood Health is the
first volume in the Interdisciplinary Community-Engaged Research for
Health series. In this first volume, series editors Farrah Jacquez and
Lina Svedin have invited academics around the country who participated
in the first cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJ)
prestigious, innovative Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program
to share results from their efforts. These three-person teams composed
of two researchers and one community partner used applied research to
create measurable change in healthcare and health outcomes for young
children. Spanning disciplines from public health, psychology, policy,
economics, medicine, nutrition and geography, academics teamed up with
community partners, including medical practitioners, nonprofit leaders,
and policymakers to create action and community benefit through
research, intervention, and policy development. From research on the
nonmedical needs of women in the Mississippi Delta, WIC programs in
Puerto Rico, and children's advocacy in Cincinnati, Ohio, the
contributors describe seven cases depicting valuable stepping stones for
academic and community partners to collaborate and create a culture of
health in the United States.