On June 25, 2025, “Collaborators in Health: Redefining Research-Community Partnerships, Chicago, 2022-2024” was published in the American Journal of Public Health. Coauthored by C3EN researchers and Community Stakeholder Advisory Council members, the paper consolidates the results of seven town hall community listening sessions conducted by C3EN on the south and west sides of Chicago. 149 community members participated, identifying social determinants of health, medical issues, mental health, and systemic barriers within the healthcare system as top health priorities within their communities, with social determinants of health cited twice as often as the others. These findings align with Chicago Department of Public Health’s Healthy Chicago 2025 strategic plan, which focuses on upstream causes of health disparities.

The Chicago Chronic Conditions Engagement Network aims to contribute to the elimination of the 10-year life expectancy gap between Black and white members of Chicago by fostering collaboration between researchers and community based organizations to find and implement solutions. However, communities often perceive health research as extractive—benefiting researchers but offering little in return. This perception is rooted in historical harm, such as displacement through urban renewal, and a lack of tangible benefits, leading to resentment and mistrust of research.

To overcome this and create effective partnerships with community organizations, researchers must:

• Align research goals with community priorities,

• Share funding and resources equitably,

• Acknowledge historical harms, and

• Build long-term, trust-based partnerships.

Effective collaborations can leverage researchers’ scientific expertise and grant infrastructure with community organizations’ lived experience and advocacy skills. Such partnerships can improve health equity research outcomes and help drive policy change. The authors advocate for a community engagement model that develops enduring relationships beyond individual research projects, helping to ensure that research serves community goals and creates lasting impact.