Purpose:

The Research Initiative Working Group (RIWG) is an academic-community collaborative project. The project aims to build a research infrastructure to assure that research conducted in Lawrence will provide a clear benefit to the community by including community members in all research phases. The key to mutually-beneficial research is called the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. 

In our continued efforts to streamline and maximize our efforts, and given the apparent synergy that exist between the RIWG and MassCONECT working group, both groups have merged under the Research Initiative Working Group effective September 2012.  We believe this merger will complement and further activate awareness-raising and capacity-building research related efforts proposed by the RIWG, capitalizing on their combined expertise and ongoing historical research efforts in the city.

 Co-Chairs:

• Robin Toof, University of Massachusetts, Lowell Campus
• Sara Minsky, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Center for Community-Based Research