Making Good Things Happen
A blog that informs our clients about real world topics related to what we do as Scale Strategic Solutions!
"With and For The People": Participatory Evaluation
Sometimes, evaluation can feel like something “done to” us. A power that comes over our programs and our work to judge and change us. Our Scale Strategic Solutions team tries to avoid evaluation as something “done to” organizations and programs and champions doing evaluation “with and for” organizations and programs. There are several ways to execute participatory evaluation, one technique in particular that we have started to borrow in clinical research settings is the community engagement studio.
The Community Engagement Studio is one of the unique services developed by The Meharry-Vanderbilt Community Engaged Research Core. It was developed to help researchers interested in working directly with patients and other community stakeholders do so in a way that is culturally sensitive and in keeping with community priorities, values, and needs. The CE Studio creates a framework for stakeholders to provide immediate feedback to the researcher on specific areas of concern before the research project is implemented.
The Community Engagement Studio will allow the community members to learn about the research that we are doing in their community and how it will directly benefit them, their families, and community. The engagement of the community members in the CE Studio also contributes to the development and execution of the program in a continuous learning cycle. We in turn as researchers gain an increased understanding of how to be culturally sensitive to the community, how the community works together, and how to engage its members.
What experiences have you had shaping an evaluation as a program participant or community member? If you are an evaluator, what participatory approaches do you use? Share with us on Twitter @Scale_Strategic
or our LinkedIn Scale Strategic Solutions.
In today’s data-driven world, local health departments (LHDs) play a critical role in shaping community health and advancing equity. Yet, to do this effectively, they need more than just national trends, they need access to localized, granular data that reflects the real conditions on the ground. Data sharing is not only a technical challenge but a strategic community-focused practice. When LHDs collaborate with community organizations such as schools, hospitals, social service agencies and law enforcement, they unlock new pathways to address public health challenges more effectively. Local data allows communities to identify emerging health threats, evaluate the impact of programs, and understand how the Social Determinants of Health influence well-being. Scale Strategic Solutions, in partnership with D.E.E.P. Consultants and Strategik513, is proud to announce the development of a robust, strategic roadmap designed to support public health professionals in leveraging data to improve population health outcomes and reduce disparities. Our team of subject matter experts collaborated closely with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and local health departments to gain firsthand insights into the challenges and opportunities surrounding data sharing practices. This discovery process informed the creation of two key resources aimed at building data capacity in the field. The "Increasing Data Sharing Capacity for Local Health Departments" asynchronous training, alongside the complementary Data Sharing Resource Guide , are now available on NACCHO University , the organization’s online learning platform. At Scale, we are committed to advancing the culture of data sharing within public health ecosystems. These resources were developed to meet practitioners where they are, offering flexible, high-impact tools to drive meaningful improvements in health equity and data-driven decision-making. If your organization is interested in learning more or would benefit from a customized training solution tailored to your specific data sharing needs, we invite you to contact us . Together, we can empower local health leaders with the tools and knowledge needed to transform data into action.
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