Community-Academic Partnerships for Early Childhood Health is the first volume in the Interdisciplinary Community-Engaged Research for Health series. In this first volume, series editors Farrah Jacquez and Lina Svedin have invited academics around the country who participated in the first cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJ) prestigious, innovative Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program to share results from their efforts. These three-person teams composed of two researchers and one community partner used applied research to create measurable change in healthcare and health outcomes for young children. Spanning disciplines from public health, psychology, policy, economics, medicine, nutrition and geography, academics teamed up with community partners, including medical practitioners, nonprofit leaders, and policymakers to create action and community benefit through research, intervention, and policy development. From research on the nonmedical needs of women in the Mississippi Delta, WIC programs in Puerto Rico, and children’s advocacy in Cincinnati, Ohio, the contributors describe seven cases depicting useful stepping stones for academic and community partners to collaborate and create a culture of health in the United States.
 
 

The challenges to health, wellness, and health equity in the United States are massive. No matter what side of the discussion health care leaders are on, insufficient mental health care, adverse childhood experiences, substance use disorders, high infant mortality rate, and declining life expectancy for women are issues that leadership can rally around. The second volume in the Interdisciplinary Community-Engaged Research for Health series explores hands-on approaches that leaders can take in their community. Creating Culture through Health Leadership focuses on the practitioner’s view of community engagement and how health care leaders can build a culture of health through community-grown solutions. Volume editor Lina Svedin invites contributors from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health Leaders program to share transformative leadership skills that advance health and equity for all. Svedin’s contributors span the fields of business, technology, architecture, education, urban farming, and the arts, and represent subject matter experts, mentors, and coaches in the private, public, nonprofit, and social sectors. The volume is a collection of innovative, engaging case studies that illuminate how health care administrators and managers can collaborate to lead change within their organization, in their regional system, and throughout the nation.