On September 18, 2025, C3EN hosted the second of two FQHC-researcher convenings in partnership with the Institute for Translational Medicine at Rush University. Facilitated by Doriane Miller, C3EN Community Engagement Core co-director and Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, the event included presentations and a panel discussion intended to support collaboration between researchers and federally qualified health centers.

Katie McAuliff, health services research scientist at Alliance Chicago, began with a short presentation introducing FQHCs, healthcare organizations that serve approximately 10% of the US population–especially patients who are low-income and uninsured–offering primary care, behavioral health, dental care, and access to social services. FQHCs are funded by a combination of federal and private funds, and they are required to submit standardized reports on patient characteristics, services provided, clinical processes and health outcomes, patients’ use of services, staffing, costs, revenues, and other information within a Uniform Data System. Some data are publicly available and can be a good starting point for any researcher interested in working with FQHCs.

Neda Laiteerapong, Professor and Chief of the Section of General Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago, and Melissa Duplantis, Chief Behavioral Health Officer of Chicago Family Health Center, shared their experiences of partnering on research in C3EN’s PORTAL-PTSD, a project to screen for and treat post-traumatic stress disorder on the south side of Chicago. The partnership “began organically,” said Laiteerapong, from a shared interest in integrating behavioral health into primary care. PTSD is underdiagnosed and undertreated outside of a Veterans Affairs medical context, noted Duplantis, resulting in an average 12-year delay in diagnosis and treatment without a regular screening procedure. The area treated by Chicago Family Health’s six clinics experiences higher homicide rates, community violence, and systemic racism. PORTAL-PTSD screening enabled Chicago Family Health to identify that about 15% of their patients have symptoms of PTSD–and provided a clinical decision support tool developed by Laiteerapong to help primary care physicians deliver treatment. Both health care organizations and researchers benefit from a research partnership such as PORTAL-PTSD, they said. The study increased access to enhanced services, training, and providers for Chicago Family Health, while allowing the researcher to implement and test interventions in a real-world setting.

Kenyetta Sims, Manager of Clinical Research at Access Community Health Network (ACCESS), and Elizabeth Tumiel, Manager of Research and Academic Partnerships at Erie Family Health Centers (EFH), both shared more details on how their respective FQHCs evaluate and select potential research partnerships. Both emphasized the importance of research that directly benefits patients, such as a new therapy, process, or procedure that improves care, as well as a format that is designed for their patient demographics, including Spanish language access. They also placed importance upon a realistic plan for implementation, especially one that aligns with or enhances the existing workflow, and budgets that fairly compensate patients, providers, and staff for the time invested in research. Research that complements the work that the FQHC is already doing or hoping to do, such as collecting UDS data, addressing a problem or question they are trying to solve, increasing staff, offering training to staff, and providing tools, is likely to be of interest. Finally, a research plan should also consider sustainability: if successful, can the intervention be continued at the FQHC after the study?

In a moderated discussion led by Miller and a Q&A session with the audience, the panel discussed the importance of establishing a relationship early in the process and being willing to listen and learn from each other without succumbing to preconceived notions. While FQHCs may be interested in research, there is no mandate or support from the government to support it, noted McAuliff. The existing structures prioritize patient care and collecting data for UDS, whereas there is no reporting on research activities. Tumiel and Sims both stated that their organizations have a commitment to research but reiterated the importance of alignment with the goals of the FQHC.

“We organized this series because we want to partner researchers with FQHCs,” said Lisa Kuklinski, C3EN Director of Community Research Partnerships. “Our Community Based Research Network is attempting to help researchers and community partners meet early in the process to start with a question and build a partnership before putting in a grant. At C3EN, we want not only to set up partnerships but support partners in the process of doing research together.”