June 18, 2026

More than 100 community members, researchers, and students gathered on May 28, 2026, for the second annual West Philly Research Day, an event focused on strengthening partnerships and advancing community-engaged research in West Philadelphia.

Hosted by the Promise Zone Research Connection (PZRC) at Drexel University Health Sciences Building, the event centered on trust, collaboration, and shared goals. Attendees included university faculty and students, institutional leaders, residents, and representatives from more than 20 community-based organizations across West Philadelphia and nearby neighborhoods.

Organizers emphasized the importance of aligning academic research with community priorities. The event built on momentum from its inaugural year, offering opportunities for dialogue, networking, and the exchange of best practices in community-engaged research.

The program opened with remarks from PZRC Project Coordinator and West Philadelphia resident Caleila Burrell, who highlighted the organization’s mission of creating connections between researchers and community partners and ensuring that research conducted in West Philadelphia is ethical, collaborative, and beneficial to residents. As board members often say, “If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.” Allison Rusgo, PhD, PA-C, an associate professor in the Physician Assistant Department in Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions, followed with a brief history of the PZRC’s growth since 2015 and its efforts through initiatives such as its Community Research Review Board, launched in 2022, to elevate community voices and promote transparency in research occurring in West Philadelphia communities.

Tyrique Glasgow, founder and executive director of the Young Chances Foundation, delivered the keynote address, titled “Bottomless Research.” Glasgow pointed to a decline in reported community violence but said the data did not fully capture the ongoing effects on young people and families. He urged attendees to move beyond surface-level metrics and invest in long-term relationships and support systems. “If you provide for our youth, tomorrow’s better,” he said, emphasizing the importance of connecting research to lived experience.

A panel discussion, moderated by Amy Carroll-Scott, PhD, MPH, chair of Drexel’s Department of Community Health and Prevention at the Dornsife School of Public Health, explored what it takes to build and sustain effective research partnerships. Panelists included Bertranna A. Muruthi, PhD, LMFT; Emmanuel Oyelami of the African Family Health Organization; Madeline Perry, MD, of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; and LaKeisha Entsuah, COO of Cocolife.black.

The discussion examined several key aspects of researcher–community collaboration, including how partnerships were initiated, how research priorities were co-developed, and how power and resources were shared. Panelists described the importance of engaging community partners early—before study designs are finalized—and ensuring that community organizations had a meaningful role in shaping research questions, methods, and implementation. Panelists also addressed challenges, including limited funding, misaligned timelines between academic research and community needs, and difficulty sustaining partnerships beyond grant cycles. They stressed the importance of transparency, fair and timely compensation for community partner organizations for their roles and responsibilities in collaborative research, and returning research findings to the community in accessible and useful formats. One community-based organization panelist talked about the challenges of being paid as if they function like a large corporation, “We can’t pay our employees for a single day to do this work if you pay your invoices late”. One of the researcher panelists described how the subaward contract from her grant with her community partner organization was finally approved after the project ended.

Throughout the keynote and panel discussion, speakers underscored that trust, consistency, and accountability were essential to long-term collaboration between communities and more powerful research institutions, noting that meaningful partnerships require sustained effort and adaptability from both researchers and community organizations.

The event concluded with a networking and resource-sharing session featuring organizations from across Philadelphia. Attendees exchanged information, explored potential collaborations, and discussed opportunities to advance shared community goals.

Organizers said the success of the event – in terms of high levels of registrations, interest, and diversity of participants – underscores the need for spaces where researchers and community members can meet and share ideas as equal partners.

Event sponsors included The Barra Foundation, Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions, the Dornsife School of Public Health, and Drexel’s Office of University and Community Partnerships. For more information about PZRC, readers were encouraged to contact the organization at info@pzrc.org and to visit www.pzrc.org to sign up for a consultation with the PZRC’s Community Research Review Board.