Informing Research Priorities Through Community Partnerships

For our research to have its greatest impact, it must be informed not only by scientific expertise, but also by the experiences, priorities, and perspectives of the communities we serve. Many of the most important challenges affecting child health are best understood and addressed when researchers and community partners bring their complementary expertise together. Our Manne Research Institute Community Advisory Council is helping us build that kind of partnership. In this message, I want to introduce you to the council’s work and share the perspectives of two members on why community engagement matters to research.

Established in 2025 through the Community and Provider Input for Learning, Outreach, and Transformation (Co-Pilot) initiative, the Manne Research Institute Community Advisory Council creates a dedicated forum for community representatives and research institute leaders to learn from one another and work together. Its purpose is to ensure that our research priorities and strategic initiatives are informed by the experiences, needs, and perspectives of the children, families, and communities we serve.

As council facilitators Laiba Bajwa, MPH, and Adam B. Becker, PhD, MPH, describe it, the council seeks to build greater mutual understanding between researchers and communities and to strengthen the role of community perspectives throughout the research process. Laiba is Associate Director of the Co-Pilot initiative, and Adam is Scientific Lead for Community-Engaged, Evaluation, and Qualitative Research in the Smith Child Health Catalyst at Manne Research Institute.

The council’s early meetings focused on relationship-building and mutual learning about community and research institute priorities. More recent meetings have addressed specific health issues and provided community perspectives on programs, materials, and activities under development across the research institute. Most recently, the council has partnered with the Office of Research Development to identify new opportunities for community connection as part of Manne Research Institute’s 2027 Research Discovery Week.

Our inaugural council brings together people with deep experience working with children, families, and communities across Chicago and Cook County. Through schools, health agencies, faith-based institutions, and neighborhood organizations, council members collectively serve more than 40 Chicago neighborhoods. That breadth of experience provides perspectives we cannot generate within the research institute alone and helps us better understand the questions that matter to families, the barriers that may limit participation in research, and how our work can be more relevant and useful in the communities we serve.

Elle Lynn Quimpo, MA, Program Director of the COLLAB Network at West Side United, brings experience in community-centered program design and youth engagement. Her work at the intersection of community engagement and health equity shapes her interest in making research more relevant and responsive to community needs. “Community involvement is essential in an initiative like this because it ensures research is relevant, responsive, and applicable. It also helps strengthen trust and connection between researchers, institutions, and the communities they aim to serve,” explains Elle.

Tallett Vanek, MS, RDN, LDN, Director of Nutrition at the Chicago Department of Public Health, brings a public health perspective shaped by her work on early life nutrition, access to care, and social determinants of health. She sees the council as an opportunity to connect research more closely to community needs and real-world application. “Getting involved creates an opportunity to shape the direction of research, ensure it reflects real community needs, and accelerate meaningful change. It also strengthens partnerships across sectors, which is critical for addressing complex public health challenges.” She adds, “Being part of an advisory council allows me to help bridge the gap between research and real-world application, ensuring that findings are not only evidence-based but also practical and accessible for the communities we serve.”

In addition to Elle and Tallett, we want to recognize the other advisory council members:

• Liz Baudler, Education Specialist at Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center
• Elizabeth Berkeley, MPH, Director at Chicago Grows Foods
• Tykwon Billups, student at University of Illinois Chicago
• Charles W. Dahm, OP, Director at Domestic Violence Outreach
• Gillian Feldmeth, Senior Manager of Policy and Innovation at Cook County Health and Co-Chair of the Manne Research Institute Community Advisory Council
• Teresa Pennix Gill, MA, Co-Founder, President, and Executive Director at Parenting for Non-Violence
• Jackie Hoffman, Founder and Executive Director at Peace Runners 773
• Jocabed Leyva, Director of Programs at Girls in the Game
• Siddharth Shah, MS, Urban Planning Associate at the Chicago Department of Transportation
• Radhika Sharma, MPH, Community Health and Violence Prevention Specialist at Apna Ghar
• Jeremiah Simon, MPH, Director of Student Health and Wellness Public Health Operations at Chicago Public Schools
• Jamie Taratoot, Founder and Executive Director at EveryMom Chicago and Co-Chair of the Manne Research Institute Community Advisory Council

Michelle Macy, MD, MS, Scientific Director of Community, Population Health, and Outcomes, and Emily Golbeck, MBA, CCRP, Senior Director of Operations for Community, Population Health, and Outcomes, provide the Co-Pilot team with strategic support as the council continues to evolve. William Muller, MD, PhD, Scientific Director of Clinical and Community Trials; Brenda Paulsen, MEd, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer; Seema Shah, JD, Director of Research Ethics and Pediatric Research Ethics and Policy Program and Co-Chair of the Manne Research Institute Community Advisory Council; and Renee E. Walker, DrPH, Senior Director of Magoon Institute Community Initiatives and Program Development, join me as Manne Research Institute representatives on the advisory council. 

Together, these perspectives can strengthen our approach to research. They can help us ask better questions, design studies that are more relevant to children and families, identify barriers to participation, and think more deliberately about how discoveries ultimately reach the communities they are intended to benefit. This is the larger opportunity the council represents. Community engagement is not just an activity that accompanies our research; done well, it can improve the research itself. By building relationships grounded in mutual respect, listening, and shared learning, we can strengthen both the relevance of our science and its potential to improve child health.