Objectives/Goals: This project shares pilot data on types of community engagement activities that are valued and used in faculty promotion and tenure (P&T) in academic public health. The pilot will expand beyond public health to other types of academic institutions to examine P&T guidelines and gather additional data through multiple case study design. Methods/Study Population: We collected preliminary data through a survey disseminated to public health schools and programs about perceived value and actual use of community-engaged research (CEnR) in faculty promotion and tenure. Thirteen activities, grouped into four categories (dissemination, education and training, leadership, and other), were ranked within these four groups and overall. In the project expansion, we will review P&T guidelines in academic institutions more broadly (beyond public health) and conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders, such as faculty affairs representatives and faculty in practice track positions. Results/Anticipated Results: Preliminary data show that while schools include CEnR in their P&T guidelines, they are often vague. In addition, the findings suggest that publishing in peer-reviewed journals and obtaining grants or contracts are, by far, the most valued and used activities for faculty promotion and tenure decisions. Least valued and used included disseminating findings through other means (media, policy, or community), developing reports or guidelines with population health implications, and demonstrating leadership or reputation in CEnR. We anticipate that expansion of this project beyond public health will yield similar results. However, we aim to incorporate institutions that value CEnR and provide examples of and recommendations for faculty successfully navigating P&T while engaging in this work. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Data suggest that traditional research is most valued in academia. The future project will aim to answer what constitutes quality CEnR, who judges it, the value of dissemination beyond peers, and how to utilize traditional academic structures to reward faculty who build relationships to translate research into evidence-based policies and practices.
Pennel et al. (Wed,) studied this question.