Research Based on Community Needs

Community-based participatory research is the lens through which Ada Wilkinson-Lee, Ph.D., conducts her work. That's not always the case in academic research.

Associate professor Ada Wilkinson-Lee, focuses her research on community needs.

As an associate professor at the University of Arizona's Mexican-American Studies Department,

Ada Wilkinson-Lee, Ph.D., is dedicated to conducating research that is needed by her community.

While it sounds intuitive, too often academic research doesn't prioritize community needs. This can diminish its value.

Through years of studying communities and seeing what works, Dr. Wilkinson-Lee is a firm believer that research that can uplift lives focus on what the community sees as important and needed.

She's spent a considerable amount of time working in border communities throughout Arizona to see which projects have had positive community outcomes.

"As a researcher, my intent is not to just gather data and analyze it and then publish it in abstract articles that no one else is going to read but other researchers," she says. "Rather, the intent is to gather the data and then apply the findings so that it can go back to the community and we can build interventions, provide resources or even advocate for policy changes whether that's at the local, county, state or national level."

To watch the podcast featuring Dr. Wilkinson-Lee, go here. To listen to other ImpactoAZ podcasts on topics that center Latinx voices, go to the ImpactoAZ channel on YouTube.