Community Research Program at MGH Chelsea
The Community Research Program at MGH Chelsea Healthcare Center supports research across the lifespan. We emphasize interdisciplinary collaborations that target health disparities, advance clinical practice, and improve the well-being of the Chelsea community.
Background
The Community Research Program at MGH Chelsea began in May 2013 with the first meeting of the MGH Chelsea Interdisciplinary Research Roundtable.
The Research Roundtable was initially supported by the Speech, Language & Swallowing Disorders and Reading Disabilities Department, and then by MGH Chelsea Administration. It is now supported by the Mass General Division of Clinical Research and the Division of General Internal Medicine (DGIM).
The Program is led by Amy Izen, M.S., CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist; Rohit Chandra, MD, a psychiatrist; and Julie Levison, MD, MPhil, MPH; an infectious disease specialist. Josh Metlay, MD, PhD, chief of the DGIM, provides feedback to the Program.
Participants
The Community Research Program at MGH Chelsea communicates with more than 200 individuals who work in Chelsea, Revere, Boston and Charlestown. Many of our participants work at MGH and others work elsewhere with an interest in community research.
These individuals want to connect with the research that is being done in their community either through conducting studies or quality improvement initiatives, learning how to contribute to studies, or learning about local research. Many of these participants lead studies within the departments at MGH Chelsea, including:
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Research Council
The Research Council consists of 8-12 individuals who represent a variety of Departments at MGH Chelsea and have experience conducting research or an interest in promoting research and quality improvement. The Research Council meets quarterly to work toward Community Research Program goals. Julie Levison chairs the Research Council.
Advisory Board
The first meeting of the MGH Chelsea Research Advisory Board occurred in October 2016. The Advisory Board consists of 7-13 people who work across the MGH system and provide ongoing bi-directional communication between the Community Research Program and the Advisory Board members’ constituency. Meetings are held annually with the Research Council.
Benefits of Community-based Research
- Inclusive and collaborative research results from grassroots partnerships with stakeholders. Since the research occurs in partnership with communities of interest, study results are more likely to be relevant to the community and promote development of solutions that address community-identified problems.
- Community-based research allows community members to receive training and opportunities to collaborate with interdisciplinary research teams in order to study topics of importance to the community. The results of these studies directly affect the lives of the participants, and can potentially improve the lives of other community members as well.
If you are interested in developing a research project in Chelsea, please contact MGH Community Research and give us some background information on your project by filling out this information form. We welcome anyone interested in developing a research project to contact us and attend a Roundtable meeting.
Example Research Projects at MGH Chelsea
Julie Levison, MD, MPhil, MPH, works with HIV-infected Latino/Hispanic immigrants and their health care providers in Chelsea and the greater Boston area to develop community-based interventions to overcome non-adherence to longitudinal HIV care.
Anne Thorndike, MD, has been working with the Center for Community Health Improvement at MGH Chelsea, as well as with Chelsea corner store owners, to improve the purchasing and eating habits of Chelsea residents by both adapting the stoplight menu to product labeling and moving nutritious items to more prominent and appealing positions in the store.
Resources
- Explore upcoming courses available through the Division of Clinical Research
- Find a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital
Research Roundtable
Monthly Roundtable meetings serve as a venue for feedback on research in progress, a space to foster collaboration and share resources such as courses and complementary consults available through the Division of Clinical Research, and a way to promote improved clinical practices and clinical research in the healthcare setting. Please contact MGH Community Research if you are interested in being added to the email list and attending a meeting. Phone participation is available. Meetings occur on the fourth Thursday of the month from 12-1 pm. See an overview of past Research Roundtable presenters and discussions.
Research Day
This annual event began in 2016 and features a poster session, responses from community members, and a keynote address. The event is supported by MGH Chelsea Administration, The Mongan Institute and Department of General Internal Medicine Community Council. Download past abstract books (PDF files) from Community Research Day: 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019