July 18, 2023
The UW Community Advisory Board Conference was held on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at Goodman South Campus, Madison College. As a part of the Wisconsin Idea Week, this celebration highlighted the contributions of Community Advisory Board members and allowed them to share and discuss their community engagement efforts within their work.
Gilmore-Bykovskyi lab members, Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi and Laura Block participated in the event and shared lessons they have learned from Community Advisory Board members in their research efforts engaging with the Madison community.
They highlighted lessons learned from the Community Advisors on Research Design and Strategies (CARDS) Community Advisory Board for the Brain and Body Fitness program, which is offered by lab members in collaboration with the Madison School & Community Recreation for older adults in the community.
Laura shares that “it was a joy to gather in community at the inaugural event celebrating the power of community voice and perspective in research. Our lab has been so fortunate to partner with the CARDS over the years to guide our work with older adults and caregivers, and it was very special to be able to recognize the CARDS leadership in this space and hear from many of them on what this has meant for them, as well as other community advisory group representatives.”
Other highlights from the event included experiences shared by Advisors to research led by Dr. Maria Mora Pinzon in the Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine. Participants shared the ways that they value participation in advisory boards as well as the importance of researchers valuing and prioritizing community priorities.
Photo Credits: ArrowStar Photography