Partners in Research

The ECHORN COnsortium

The consortium is a network of dedicated stakeholders who work together to address long-standing disparities in non-communicable diseases in the Caribbean. It includes representatives from more than more than 30 Caribbean health, policy, and community organizations. Consortium members volunteer to serve on small workgroups that focus on specific projects or topics. Those groups provide guidance on the design, development, analysis, and dissemination of research studies. They also facilitate training and educational opportunities for member organizations. This collaborative approach builds professional relationships across institutions and islands.

Our consortium is guided by a governing board, which provides the strategic direction necessary to develop and enact policies that support our membership in achieving our goals and fulfilling our vision. The network is supported by a fellowship program, which provides young leaders with professional experience in addressing health equity, and the ECHORN Coordinating Center at Yale University.

We know that including communities as partners in research is essential for developing effective, sustainable changes that improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities. Working together, our consortium members make meaningful, impactful contributions to the health of their loved ones, their neighbors, and the greater Caribbean community.

DATA SHARING IN THE CARIBBEAN

Few researchers or institutions share the data they collect, and there is limited guidance on how to share data safely and ethically. From 2019-2020 our workgroup members completed a needs assessment on data sharing practices in the Caribbean. We specifically targeted people who collect, manage, or review data in the Caribbean. Workgroup members developed this original survey under the guidance of Dr. Ian Hambleton and Dr. Selvi Jayaseelan from The George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre. The survey was administered to attendees at the 2019 Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) conference in Trinidad and to consortium members and their colleagues. The results showed that most participants agreed with the idea of data sharing but did not have the practical means to do so. Our next challenge is to put these findings into practice.

CRITICAL FEEDBACK ON STUDIES

Our consortium members provide critical feedback on the design, implementation, and evaluation of ECHORN studies. After Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017) our members worked closely with the LIME research team to ensure that our diabetes prevention study was culturally appropriate, relevant, and sensitive. This was especially important as many residents were facing food insecurity. Our members devised strategies to maintain recruitment, adapt the curriculum, and still deliver a full intervention. These members also revised the interview guides used with LIME workshop facilitators and participants and are now contributing to data analysis.

LEARNING AND DISCUSSION

Our consortium members wanted to create time and space for learning and discussion. The collaborative learning workgroup developed a webinar series dedicated to ongoing research activities in the Caribbean. From 2018-2019 our discussions focused on nutrition and non-communicable diseases, topics addressing food insecurity, community nutrition interventions, and developmental science. Our speakers included leaders and experts within the fields of medicine, epidemiology, nutrition, and civil society. In 2019, our workgroup shifted the focus to the intersection of climate, economics, and health, with speakers from CARPHA, CDEMA, and the UN Women Multi-Country Office, among others. With speaker’s permission, each live webinar is recorded and posted online for viewing.