BUSSW Researchers Show How Changing Organizational Culture in Healthcare is Key to Success of Youth Advisory Boards
Youth and communities of color are underrepresented in health-related program design and delivery, but a study led by researchers at Boston University’s School of Social Work (BUSSW) and School of Medicine shows that youth engagement has potential to bring healthcare policy and practice closer to community needs – and that we need young people of color at the forefront of the process.
In order to explore strategies for closing the gap between health care programs, youth, and communities of color, the researchers piloted a youth advisory board (YAB) at Boston Medical Center in August 2020 with a group of eight young people of color and conducted a year-long evaluation of the YAB design and implementation. YABs are a widely recognized youth engagement model that give organizations the opportunity to integrate youth voices and experiences into decision-making.
The researchers – who include two BUSSW doctoral students, a recent MSW graduate, and project lead Astraea Augsberger, PhD, an assistant professor at BUSSW – found that preparing adult providers and administrators to support YABs and youth of color is critical to the success of youth participation in healthcare. Implementing antiracist frameworks, conducting trainings in institutional racism, and engaging in equity-focused practice are all critical steps for healthcare professionals, YAB facilitators, and institutional leadership.
The authors stress that organizational culture is crucial to setting clear expectations and creating a safe space for young people. Using an antiracist framework, YAB facilitators need to be educated about youth-adult partnership models and the mutual benefits of youth engagement in decision-making in addition to equity-focused practices.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Community Psychology, was co-authored by Augsberger; Adrienne Young (SSW’21); BUSSW PhD students Noor Toraif (SSW’23) and Melanie Morris (SSW’25); and Katherine Gergen Barnett, MD, a clinical associate professor at BU School of Medicine and vice chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center.
More information about the YAB and findings from the partnership can be found here.