2026 Fall CTSA Program Annual Meeting

Introduction: The Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI) has a long-standing record of productive, meaningful engagement with Oregon communities. The well-developed Community Outreach, Research, and Engagement (CORE) infrastructure unifies the community-facing and community-serving programs of the Knight Cancer Institute Community Outreach and Engagement (COE), OCTRI, and the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN).

Approach: OCTRI provides “backbone support” for CORE through administrative oversight and convening.
1. Regionally Based Team Members- CORE funds Community Research Facilitators (CRFs) who live and work in communities across Oregon. CRFs maintain relationships beyond individual studies and facilitate community engagement in research. They champion community priorities; build trust between academic and community partners; support study co-design; and implement protocols.
2. Front Door- CORE Front Door is the single-entry point for academic and community partners to request support services. It strengthens OHSU’s ability to coordinate how it receives, responds to, tracks, and supports community-engaged research partnerships.
3. CEnR Services and Projects- Services provided by CORE member organizations support community engagement and community-engaged research and may include partnership connections, project planning and co-design, grant and contract development, project implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. Services and support cover all stages of the research process and span all CORE member programs’ offerings.

Impact: CORE uses the Translational Science Benefit Model (TSBM) to assess the real-world impacts of our translational research.
1. Regionally Based Team Members- Community and public health. CORE leverages cross-program resources to develop and maintain meaningful academic-community connections. We empower communities as research partners and decision-makers. We provide relevant tools and resources to our clinic, community, and patient partners.
2. CORE Front Door- Community & public health. CORE engages community partners at all stages of the research process, generating buy-in for participation and for using research findings to inform organization-level actions.
3. CEnR Services and Projects- Community and public health. Clinical and medical. CORE offers and implements a portfolio of services for academic and community partners that engage patients and communities throughout all stages of the research process. We conduct research that supports implementing evidence-based practices in community settings, centered on person-centered care.

Looking Ahead: CORE will continue to build on our strengths in community engagement and community-engaged research to overcome roadblocks in translational science, accelerate clinical and translational research, and deliver Community and Clinical benefits to all – especially people residing in rural settings.