Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH)
Community-Based Participatory Research for Structural Change
September 27, 2023
Interviewee: Mónica D. Ramírez-Andreotta, Ph.D.
In this episode, Mónica D. Ramírez-Andreotta, Ph.D., discusses how participatory research can generate change in the social, economic, and political structures that drive many environmental health disparities.
Community-Based Participatory Research for Structural Change
Many low-income communities of color experience disproportionate exposure to pollution and its related health effects. To help address these disparities, scientists may include community members in research by inviting them to help develop research questions, collect data, and interpret results. Commonly known as community-based participatory research, this approach can increase residents’ knowledge of environmental health risks and help them take action to reduce harmful exposures. However, many of these disproportionate exposures are the result of broader systems and cannot be reduced by personal behavior change alone.
In this episode, Mónica D. Ramírez-Andreotta, Ph.D., discusses how participatory research can generate change in the social, economic, and political structures that drive many environmental health disparities. She describes strategies scientists can use to design projects that can prompt structural change and how she incorporates those strategies into her own research.
Interviewee:
Mónica D. Ramírez-Andreotta, Ph.D., an associate professor of environmental science at the University of Arizona, works with communities to increase their knowledge of environmental health and translate research into action. She directs Gardenroots and Project Harvest, which are community science initiatives that engage community members about the health of their soil, water, and plants. Ramírez-Andreotta also leads research translation activities for the NIEHS-funded University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center. In this role, she communicates and applies center findings to address critical environmental health problems in communities affected by hazardous contaminants.
Resources:
- Learn more about Ramírez-Andreotta’s research in this NIEHS Grantee Highlight.
- Visit the Gardenroots website to learn more about this community science initiative.
- Watch Ramírez-Andreotta describe her efforts related to community science in this video by Landmark Stories, which is affiliated with the University of Arizona.
References:
- Davis LF, Ramírez-Andreotta MD. 2021. Participatory Research for Environmental Justice: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 Feb;129(2):26001. [Abstract Davis LF, Ramírez-Andreotta MD. 2021. Participatory Research for Environmental Justice: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 Feb;129(2):26001.]