Medical College of Wisconsin
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A Social Network Analysis of 140 Community-Academic Partnerships for Health: Examining the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program. Clin Transl Sci 2015 Aug;8(4):311-9

Date

05/15/2015

Pubmed ID

25974413

Pubmed Central ID

PMC4977991

DOI

10.1111/cts.12288

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84940452748 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   11 Citations

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides an important, underutilized approach to evaluating Community Academic Partnerships for Health (CAPHs). This study examines administrative data from 140 CAPHs funded by the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program (HWPP).

METHODS: Funder data was normalized to maximize number of interconnections between funded projects and 318 non-redundant community partner organizations in a dual mode analysis, examining the period from 2003-2013.Two strategic planning periods, 2003-2008 vs. 2009-2014, allowed temporal comparison.

RESULTS: Connectivity of the network was largely unchanged over time, with most projects and partner organizations connected to a single large component in both time periods. Inter-partner ties formed in HWPP projects were transient. Most community partners were only involved in projects during one strategic time period. Community organizations participating in both time periods were involved in significantly more projects during the first time period than partners participating in the first time period only (Cohen's d = 0.93).

DISCUSSION: This approach represents a significant step toward using objective (non-survey) data for large clusters of health partnerships and has implications for translational science in community settings. Considerations for government, funders, and communities are offered. Examining partnerships within health priority areas, orphaned projects, and faculty ties to these networks are areas for future research.

Author List

Franco ZE, Ahmed SM, Maurana CA, DeFino MC, Brewer DD

Authors

Zeno Franco PhD Associate Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Cheryl A. Maurana PhD Provost, SVP for Strategic Academic Partnerships, Interim Exec Dir, Professor in the Institute for Health and Humanity department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Community-Institutional Relations
Cooperative Behavior
Humans
Social Support
Time Factors
Wisconsin