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Kenneth Wells, MD, MPH; Loretta Jones, MA

JAMA. 2009;302(3):320-321.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In many underserved communities, "research" is a loaded word that sets expectations of being examined or exploited.^1-2 This is more likely when data are published but not otherwise shared, such as in a community forum. Research, whether it intends to or not, may disadvantage groups by highlighting problems rather than assets. Research can thus become a symbol of distance between community reality and the "ivory tower," where few mechanisms exist to facilitate community access to knowledge. Academics may view pursuit of knowledge as paramount and in entering research partnerships take such perspectives personally rather than as an expected subject of ongoing discussion.³

That research is a loaded word suggests that it is important to understand the power associated with it. When members of underserved communities are reminded of everyday applications of research, such as seat belts, the sense of alienation the term conveys . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Psychiatry and BioBehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles and Department of Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California (Dr Wells); and Healthy African American Families II and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles (Ms Jones).

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