Have you been asked to join a Community Advisory Board (CAB)? If so, you might be wondering what you should take into consideration before joining. The latest video from the “Reflections from the Community Advisory Board” series offers expert insight from past CAB members.
For seven years, beginning in 2014, the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi) collaborated with over 30 community members to address the preterm birth disparities experienced by Black women and birthing people. Many community members joined with years of prior experience, but even for first-time collaborators, serving on the CAB provided development opportunities and insight into the role of research in solving health issues. Now, they’re sharing everything you should know before joining a CAB.
In the video, PTBi’s Director of Community Engagement Shanell Williams explains that the function of a CAB is to provide accountability, making sure that research and policy initiatives being proposed are benefiting the communities the programming is trying to serve. According to Williams, allowing CAB members to address power imbalances in the project management processes ensures fair and ethical representation and decision-making for the communities involved.
Having equal authority with researchers and policymakers on projects is something that former CAB member Nayeli Bernal states is necessary since personal knowledge is indispensable in the decision-making process.
As an individual from a community with “lived experience, wisdom, and expertise is as valuable, if not more so, than someone who has theoretical knowledge of the issue at hand,” says Bernal.
Making sure that the goals of the project and organization resonate with you as a potential CAB member is a critical component that lactation consultant and former CAB member Brandi Gates-Burgess emphasizes should be considered. Do research and make sure that the intentions of the organizations involved are truly aligned with yours.
“Who is the executive team or the board, outside of the Community Advisory Board?” asks Gates-Burgess. “Are they really serious about working with the community, or is this just a project that they want to do for funding?”
By speaking to others who have worked with the organization, make sure that being part of the CAB will be a positive experience for you, both logistically and with your values.
Being a part of a CAB can be rewarding for yourself and your community, but there is a lot you should know before you join. Thankfully our series, “Reflections from the Community Advisory Board,” insight and advice from PTBi’s past CAB members.
You can also read in-depth stories about their personal journeys as birthing people and advocates at the Voices for Birth Justice site.
This project was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through UCSF-CTSI Grant Number UL1 TR001872. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
