CAB FAQ Video
Have you thought about joining a Community Advisory Board (CAB)? This video describes what it is like. As a CAB member, you will help shape projects, research, and initiatives that matter to your community. You will have the opportunity to bring your experiences and ideas to the table, speak up for community needs, and build new skills along the way. Learn more about whether CAB membership might be right for you.
Whether you or your organization is already partnering with UCSF researchers, faculty or learners, or you are considering a partnership, this page has information to help you ensure that a partnership will meet your needs.
Is a community-engaged partnership right for my organization?
To get you started, consider the following questions:
- “Are your goals aligned with the goals of your potential UCSF partner?”
- “Is the proposed project a good fit with my organization’s mission of service delivery?”
- "What health promotion activities and/or advocacy is my organization seeking support with?"
- “Is the compensation being offered enough to support the resources needed to execute the project?”
- The Association of Medical Colleges' Principles of Trustworthiness are a great resource to help organizations have conversations about what partnerships should look like.
What are the steps for community-academic projects?
Community-academic collaborations revolve around processes of co-development of an activity. Here are some guiding actions to start your project:
- Identify the health promotion and advocacy needs of your organization
- Ensure that the project is mutually beneficial
- Clarity on roles and responsibilities - identify each other's strengths
- Support best forms of communication and implement check-in points
Why are there so many acronyms?
Academic medical professionals and universities often use acronyms as shorthand to avoid repeating long phrases. It's confusing, though, when you're just entering this playground.
Here's a helpful list of the acronyms you'll encounter most at UCSF.
Community Advisory Boards Resources
The toolkit also includes ready-to-use templates, sample agendas, and evaluation tools.
Scroll down for the full list of resources for community partners.
Featured Resource: AAMC's Principles of Trustworthiness
The Principles of Trustworthiness Toolkit is designed to help institutions earn their community's trust by demonstrating they are worthy of it. Published by the AAMC Center for Health Justice, the toolkit offers a structured, yet flexible approach to building genuine partnerships rooted in humility, accountability, and long-term commitment.
Guide: Community-Engaged Research with Community Based Organizations
This Quick-Start Guide is intended for community-based organizations that may be interested in partnering with academic researchers at UCSF to conduct community-based research. This is a shortened version of the "A Resource Manual for Community-Based Organizations" document.
The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership
This Spectrum of Community Engagement charts a pathway to strengthen and transform partnerships. The spectrum can be used to describe and deepen community-academic collaborations.
Rate sheet for translation and interpretation services from Linguistica Interpreting and Translation, LLC.
Comprehensive language services for UCSF research and clinical support.
The outcomes and recommendations we are sharing today are grounded in three in-depth listening sessions facilitated by the RAGE team with our community partners.
This document provides a sample invoice template for UCSF researchers to use when compensating Community Advisory Board (CAB) members.
This document is provided as an example of a survey that research and project teams can use when recruiting potential Community Advisory Board (CAB) members.
This document is provided as an example survey for research and project teams to use when recruiting potential Community Advisory Board (CAB) members. It is intended to serve as a template and reference.
If you’re evaluating a single Community Advisory Board (CAB) meeting and not the overall experience, the goal is to capture immediate feedback on clarity, engagement, respect, and usefulness. You want questions that are quick, repeatable, and actionable.
This survey is provided as an example to help teams reflect on Community Advisory Board (CAB) members’ overall experiences at the end of your CAB. It is intended as a reference, and you are encouraged to adapt the questions to fit your goals.
This is the "After" section of the CTSI CAB Toolkit. This section describes how to close a Community Advisory Board (CAB). This includes sample evaluation questions.
This is the "During" Section of the CTSI CAB Toolkit. This section explains how to facilitate Community Advisory Board (CAB) Meetings.
This is the "Before" Section of the UCSF CTSI CAB Toolkit. This section explains how to conduct outreach and recruitment for Community Advisory Boards (CABs).
The UCSF CTSI Community Advisory Board Toolkit provides guidance on establishing more meaningful and lasting connections with the community through the formation of Community Advisory Boards (CABs).
Hero Artwork: Nothing About Us by Twin Cities artist activist Ricardo Levins Morales