A Case Study Exploring Research Communication and Engagement in a Rural Community Experiencing an Environmental Disaster

As a means to involve the public in research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the Partners in Research Program and solicited research grant applications from academic/scientific institutions and community organizations that proposed to forge partnerships: (a) to study methods and strategies to engage and inform the public regarding health science, and (b) to increase scientists’ understanding of and outreach to the public in their research efforts (NIH Public Trust, 2007). In this article, we report on a study funded by the NIH Partners in Research Program, to understand the research milieu (knowledge, acceptance, and research participation) and communication preferences of rural people experiencing an environmental disaster from amphibole asbestos exposure.