2 - (SYM 16) Balancing Partnerships in Global Community-engaged Research: Periodic Reflection in a Us-kenya Partnered Community-engaged Clinical Trial

Background: Little attention is paid to how to establish and maintain partnerships in community-engaged global mental health research. Here we explore factors relevant to successfully balancing multiple partner relationships across the US and Kenya.

Methods: Through an ethnographic periodic reflection process, we explored challenges, facilitators, and strategies to balancing partnerships in a community-engaged intervention in Kenya. The Partnership Self-Assessment Tool Questionnaire (PSAT) guided a qualitative reflections process with the implementation team via zoom (n=5; Kenyan partners, US-based team; Kenyan, US PIs). Notes were taken throughout and summarized by PSAT domains (e.g., leadership, efficiency, teamwork, non-financial resources), these were then organized by levels of the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR).

Results: Reflections centered on PSAT areas of leadership, decision making, management, synergy/teamwork, and non-financial resources. These were most often noted within the individual-level and the process-levels of CFIR. Successful leadership and management strategies at the process-level included transparency, communication, weekly meetings, asynchronous communication tools, availability, collaborative agenda setting, and openness to feedback. Some successful teamwork/synergy strategies included relationship building and personal “check-ins”, aligning expectations, and mutual respect for opinions. Related, individual team member competency, motivation, openness to feedback, and ability to “manage-up” contributed to positive teamwork. Non-financial resources such as training also increased team satisfaction. Study alignment with community-identified needs, as well as warm-handoffs, and establishing an advisory board were facilitators specific to community partner engagement. Challenges included community leader and US-leadership’s time constraints, as well as outer-setting challenges to funding from the US-based institution.

Conclusion: We explore the maintenance partnerships to inform understanding of how we establish and balance these partnerships, an essential foundation for community-engaged global research.