Adapting Sociological and Community Leadership Methodologies in Community Health Practice

• In Event: From Data to Impact: Developing Research and Tools to Inform and Improve the Application of Sociological Methods

Abstract

As public health program initiatives grow more complex, organizations increasingly rely on evaluation to demonstrate impact. Yet conventional approaches often privilege large-sample surveys over deeper contextual understanding. In community health settings, there are opportunities to incorporate qualitative and participatory methods that illuminate lived experience in both program design and impacts. Further, community health center expertise and leadership are pivotal in shaping program design and surfacing desired impacts that are most relevant and responsive to community needs. Drawing on my experiences as a sociologist evaluating programs and conducting research within the first statewide primary care association's research institute, this lightning presentation examines what it takes to integrate sociological methods and perspectives, such as grounded theory and community leadership, in program evaluation environments. I discuss the institute's innovative model, one that is grounded in structural transformation (e.g., health center access to funding and resources to advance health equity) and collaborations (e.g., integrating community expertise to enhance scientific rigor). I then share how sociological methods and theory may evolve in applied settings related to health equity, such as embedding rapid qualitative analysis into reporting cycles and applying formal theory such that evaluations not only narrate what is happening but also contextualize programs in broader social systems and structures. Attendees will learn tools for adapting and integrating efficient yet rigorous sociological theory and methods in applied settings and engage in dialogue on the role of sociology and social theory in assessing program impacts.

Author

• Jeff Nicklas, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers