a Model for Bidirectional c ommunity-a cademic engagement (cae): o verview of p artnered Research, capacity e nhancement, Systems t ransformation, and public t rust in Research

The University of Maryland's Office of Policy and Planning in collaboration with urban and rural community partners, planned and implemented a model for community- academic engagement (CAE) in partnered research and programs. The model addressed health disparities, cancer and tobacco-related diseases, and public trust in research. Envi- ronments have flourished that resulted in bidirectional community-academic interactions, and led to transformation of the academic environment and community capacity to identify and address health issues. This collaborative model produced: •� enhancedpublictrustinresearch;�and� •� enhancedcommunityandAcademicHealthCenter�(AHC)�capacitytoaddresscom- munity health needs as partners. A unique feature of this model is AHC's shared grant funding with community partners serving diverse and medically underserved communities for predetermined roles in research, policy and educational programs. Over $18 million in grant funding was provided to community organizations. This paper presents an overview of this model as a case study.