The University of California’s Biomedical Research Acceleration, Integration, and Development (UC BRAID) program recently hosted its first Community Engagement Retreat, which was held at UC Davis’s Aggie Square innovation hub.
The two-day gathering brought together university researchers, community-based organizations, and state and national partners from the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) to discuss how to make research more inclusive, accountable, and impactful for patients.
Elizabeth Boyd, Ph.D., executive director of UC BRAID, shares her thoughts about what this moment means for the future of patient-centered research and health equity across California.
What inspired UC BRAID to launch this Community Engagement Retreat?
Elizabeth Boyd: We’ve always known that the most impactful research addresses the needs of our communities and incorporates their voices into the research process. The retreat was developed on that foundation. UC BRAID connects five Clinical and Translational Science Institutes and centers —located at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC San Diego and UCSF —with other UC campuses, including the UC Riverside School of Medicine and UC Merced’s Department of Public Health. We wanted to create a space where researchers, their community partners, and different funders of research could come together, listen, and begin to build relationships that will lead to research that improves the lives of patients across the entire state.
Too often, research happens to communities rather than with them. This retreat consciously focused on the need to put patients and communities at the center of the research process from start to finish.
What does community engagement mean in practical terms for patients and families?
Boyd: It means patient voices are centered in research. They help define what questions researchers ask, what outcomes matter most and how findings are shared and used.
For example, a study on diabetes might not just look at blood sugar levels—it might also explore access to healthy food, transportation barriers or cultural approaches to care. By engaging communities, we design research that reflects real life and produces results that are more likely to improve actual health outcomes.
How do you see this work translating into better care and outcomes for patients?
Boyd: When communities and researchers co-create solutions, we make discoveries that may be more effective in practice because they are grounded in the realities of community life. For instance, involving community members in study design can help reveal barriers that might otherwise delay or derail a clinical study or impede the implementation of its findings.
The result is research that moves from the lab to the clinic—and into the community—more effectively. It also helps ensure that treatments and technologies are safe, culturally appropriate, and accessible to those who need them most.
The retreat emphasized listening and humility. Why are those qualities so important in science today?
Boyd: Because the data doesn’t tell the whole story—people do. Communities bring context, experience, and wisdom that numbers alone can’t capture. When researchers approach communities with humility and gratitude, we open the door to richer, more relevant science.
And for patients, it means being seen not just as subjects but as partners. That shift builds long-term trust, which is essential for addressing the health disparities we see across California.
What are the next steps after this summit?
Boyd: We’re moving from conversation to action. Teams across the UC campuses are now developing shared frameworks for community engagement, like data-sharing practices, metrics for accountability, and new approaches to support sustained partnerships.
We’re also committed to translating what we learn into policy recommendations that help bridge research and real-world impact. This is not a one-time event; it’s a key milestone to ensure that research benefits every patient and community we serve.
What gives you the most optimism about the path ahead?
Boyd: The energy and commitment we saw at the summit were incredible. Researchers, pastors, public health leaders, and community advocates all came together around a shared goal: making research more human.
If we can sustain that collaboration, if we keep patients at the center, we can transform not just how we conduct research, but how we deliver health and hope across California.
About UC BRAID
The University of California Biomedical Research Acceleration, Integration, and Development (UC BRAID) program connects five UC academic health center campuses to accelerate translational science and improve health across the state. Through collaboration, data sharing, and community engagement, UC BRAID works to ensure that discoveries made in research lead directly to better care for patients.
About University of California Health
University of California Health comprises six academic health centers, 21 health professional schools, a Global Health Institute and systemwide services that improve the health of patients and the University’s students, faculty and employees. All of UC’s hospitals are ranked among the best in California and its health professional schools are nationally ranked in their respective areas.