OMEGA R. WILSON, “THE COMMUNITY-OWNED AND MANAGED RESEARCH (COMR) MODEL FOR EQUITY IN RESEARCH”

Omega R. Wilson (Co-Founder, West End Revitalization Association (WERA)) presents as part of the Ethics Center’s 2020-21 series, Models for Equitable Minority Inclusion in Institutional Research.

Omega co-founded West End Revitalization Association (WERA) in 1994. WERA’s mission: Support access to “basic public health amenities” (safe drinking water, sewer lines, housing, streets, sidewalks, and storm-water management) for people of color and marginalized communities. To address these civil rights and environmental justice concerns, WERA created an innovative research paradigm called community-owned and managed research (COMR).  For more on WERA, see the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEH) project page on WERA featuring the COMR.

For the articles referenced in the talk, see: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/translational/community/west-end/index.cfm

For the video, see: https://youtu.be/fyYxQSNleF0

Zoom registration –> https://uncc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEkceutpj4rEtejEVNdFJ2h-6VwnKym9qT0

About the series: Because citizen science work often works outside of institutional channels, it often faces difficulties when it intersects with institutional structures, often disproportionately hurting minoritized communities and those not traditionally served by academic and institutional research models. In this series, we explore this intersection with an aim of understanding how community participation can be made more equitable and just.