Culturally responsive health research: A collaborative design model for equitable and sustainable community impact

Abstract

Engaging and sustaining equitable collaboration between researchers and other stakeholders can prove challenging. However, health research processes and products often benefit from the collective insights gleaned when diverse partners work together. As such, co-designed and culturally responsive research often yields significant real-world impacts. We explore the need for change and propose a framework for reimagining research as an inherently collective and collaborative effort. Referencing an illustrative case study and using human-centred design approaches to support culturally responsive work, we offer reflections on how to embrace empathic, inclusive methods that meaningfully engage diverse and under-resourced communities in research co-design.