Experts in our own right not just research subjects
We wear these alternative white coats to reclaim who is considered an expert in our movements. Community mobilization is an expert skill. Advocacy is an expert skill. Community data matters. Community Leadership matters. We are not only the subjects of research, we are experts in our own right with our own community data.
Communities can pinpoint problems in services and programs more quickly and develop workable solutions more rapidly than traditional research methods alone. Collaborate with us as equal experts.
We are missing community experts – those who are not on an ‘expert’ panel because they don’t have a PhD or medical degree. Our movement needs to expand the definition of who is considered an expert. Without communities, you are leaving good ideas and smart solutions on the table. We dare you to find a problem that communities can’t solve.
