Community-engaged partnerships (community/academia/government) can play a role in developing effective protocols that address public health crises. Systemic racism, prioritization of money over humanity, and the repression of the local democratic processes through the State of Michigan Emergency Manager Law (Order of Act 439) all played a role in the Flint Water Crisis. Despite decades of collaboration between Flint-based community organizations and academic institutions, ways to navigate such crises and conduct relevant research were ineffective.

The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Community Engagement program at the University of Michigan and Flint’s Community Based Organization Partners co-developed the Research Readiness and Partnership Protocol (R2P2) to provide community-engaged recommendations that inform a rapid research response to public health emergencies. The R2P2 Workgroup conducted an extensive literature review and key interviews to inform protocol development.

This manuscript provides an overview of the Workgroup’s methods, key interview findings, and the main principles identified. Detailed recommendations and key elements to address prior to and during a crisis will be presented including methods for: establishing and maintaining trust, ensuring transparency, supporting clear communication, establishing a “front door” to academic institutions including a means to “sound the alarm,” addressing academic incentives, achieving equitable resource sharing, and addressing systemic racism.

This manuscript of community perspectives provides essential elements to develop meaningful community-academic research partnerships to address public health crises impacting communities, particularly communities of color. Furthermore, this work highlights an opportunity for greater acknowledgment and utilization of community-based participatory research (CBPR) by academic institutions.