Championing community-engaged research to improve global health

^{Associate Professor Sarah Hoffman is partnering with Etta Projects on Gender-Based Violence & Barriers to Post-Physical Assault Care: An Exploratory Study in Montero, Bolivia.}

As a researcher, Associate Professor Sarah Hoffman, PhD, MPH, RN, studies the longitudinal health of refugees post-resettlement, gender-based violence, and the intergenerational effects of trauma in families by partnering with groups as varied as the Karen Organization of Minnesota, Etta Projects in Bolivia, and the International Organization for Migration/United Nations Agency for Migration.

The common thread throughout her research is the lens she approaches it with as a community-engaged scholar.

“My research would not be possible without community engagement and community partners. I think it’s so important in understanding what questions need to be asked and what solutions are feasible and culturally responsive,” says Hoffman.

This approach as a community-engaged scholar recently garnered recognition from the Office for Public Engagement, which named Hoffman a recipient of the 2024 University of Minnesota Community-Engaged Scholar Award. The award represents one of the University’s highest honors for community-engaged scholarship.

“In my experience with community-partnered or community-engaged research, it has the opportunity to flip or disrupt power structures to create connections through avenues that didn’t exist or weren’t recognized,” says Hoffman. “As those relationships slowly grow, it becomes a really powerful opportunity and almost a form of resistance.”

Her research already has resulted in more than $725,000 PI-funded grants, more than 30 published research articles, and more than 30 students formally advised or mentored. 

“Through her innovative, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged scholarship, Dr. Hoffman is redefining what global public health research can and ought to be in the 21st century,” wrote Research Associate Vanessa Voller, PhD, Assistant Professor Christie Martin, PhD, MPH, RN-BC, LHIT-HP, and Professor Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu, PhD, RN, FAAN, in the nomination letter. “Together we can attest to Dr. Hoffman’s unwavering commitment to meaningful engagement with marginalized communities, both locally and globally, as well as her consistent demonstration of a deep understanding of the principles of community-engaged research and her centering of the voices, needs, and strengths of community members in every stage of the research process.”

Community engagement at the forefront

Currently, Hoffman is partnering with Etta Projects on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) & Barriers to Post-Physical Assault Care: An Exploratory Study in Montero, Bolivia. The initial pilot study is establishing the prevalence and severity of sexual and physical gender-based violence in the rural community of Montero, Bolivia.

“This research will allow us to better understand the challenges and problems young women and girls face when they experience sexual abuse or assault. The results will impact future interventions that address this problem in a more comprehensive and thoughtful manner, involving the health and education sectors, as well as families in the communities,” says Dino Maccari, MS, Etta Projects executive director.

Community engagement shapes every decision made by the project team. “At every point, at every decision, at every action within this study, the degree of community involvement is a consideration,” says Hoffman. “For example, all the data was collected on paper because our partner had concerns about devices in the field, security wise.” The team then scanned the surveys and manually entered them into REDCap to manage the data. To ensure that everyone had access to the data, it was exported to an Excel file and translated, since they are a multilingual team. “These are the decision points where if you’re doing community-engaged research, this has to be at the forefront of every study activity that is happening.”

The Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility provided a seed grant for Hoffman’s project in Bolivia and also partners with her on projects related to refugee health. 

“Dr. Hoffman’s research not only advances global health scholarship, but also aligns with our center’s ethos of equity and social responsibility,” says Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility Executive Director Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH.

Executive orders stop projects aimed at improving refugee health

Until recently, Hoffman’s two primary projects directly related to refugee health. Work on both halted after executive orders were issued in January.

Since 2012, the University of Minnesota has partnered with the International Organization for Migration/United Nations Agency for Migration (IOM) to build the agency’s capacity to perform health screenings and health assessments for U.S.-bound refugees. Since 2018, Hoffman led the nurse initiative to promote bilateral technical assistance and build capacity in the nursing care of refugees through the standardization of clinical practice and nursing leadership.

Additionally, Hoffman was serving on the domestic project National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants to support health departments and community organizations in their public health response in refugee, immigrant and migrant communities. Hoffman served on a qualitative team to identify and elevate best and promising practices that were being implemented through organizational and authentic community partnerships.

“It’s been devastating,” says Hoffman. “I was stunned for myself and our teams, and then understanding what the implications are globally is staggering.”