PROCESS: a multimethods protocol to develop principles to operationalise community engagement, equity and sustainability in South Asian Health Research in Canada
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Study Protocol
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: While health research about persons of South Asian ancestry has been conducted for decades in Canada, it often uses pathologising approaches that fail to consider historical, social and political factors shaping health disparities. Further, this research rarely engages South Asian communities in meaningful ways, reinforcing feelings of disconnect and longstanding mistrust. Greater collaboration and transparency are needed to build trust and generate credible findings. The aims of this research protocol are to (1) examine how community engagement has been implemented in health research involving South Asian populations, (2) explore the experiences of both South Asian community members and academics involved in community-engaged research and (3) develop a framework guiding health research with and for South Asian communities in Canada, titled PRinciples to Operationalize Community Engagement, Equity, and Sustainability in South Asian Health Research in Canada (PROCESS). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This ongoing codesigned concurrent multimethods study is being conducted with community partners across Canadian provinces. First, the scoping review is examining how community engagement has been operationalised in health research involving South Asian populations in Canada. We are performing a search in Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO databases for articles published between 2003 and 2024 referring to the concept of community engagement in South Asian health research. Two reviewers are independently completing abstract and full-text reviews based on preselected eligibility criteria. Data are being extracted from peer-reviewed studies using a data extraction framework. Findings will be aggregated and synthesised using descriptive content analyses. Second, a qualitative descriptive study is being conducted to explore the experiences of diverse stakeholders, including academics and community partners who are partaking in academic health research focused on South Asians. Semistructured interviews are being analysed using an inductive thematic content analysis. Results from the scoping review and qualitative interviews will be triangulated to detect emerging themes and patterns, which will enable the identification of principles to be incorporated within a draft of the PROCESS framework. In the final phase, we will use a modified Delphi process to iteratively codevelop the PROCESS framework with community partners and researchers across Canada. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Institutional Review Board at McGill University approved the study's protocol (24-05-080). Results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presented in academic and community forums. Results will also be shared with diverse audiences across Canada through multiple formats, including articles, conferences, infographics and social media, with the aim of raising awareness and promoting the adoption of research principles and practices for engaging South Asian communities in health research. This research received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Grant #507768).
Source: BMJ Open
Authors: Ananya Tina Banerjee, Inaara Ismail, Anglena Sarwar, Maryam Parvez, Palak Desai, Mahak Arora, Tarini Jayaprakash, Bhavya Kalra, Joshun Dulai, Bilal Khan, Maria Chiu, Hani Rukh-E-Qamar, Sheena Sabharwal, Amandeep Kaur, Anita Lal, Maryam Khan, Nadha Hassen, Jshandeep Jassal, Kaberi Dasgupta, Hinna Hafeez, Jasleen Arneja, Patricia Li, Baijayantha Mukhopadhyay, Susitha Wanigaratne, Nasima Akter, Gary Thandi, Rachel Ferry, Noor-Ul-Huda Shah, Aishane Ganeshwaran, Neethan Shan, Moji Shirazi, Pranay Anand, Karn Sahota, Shazeen Suleman, Gita Wahi, Andrew David Pinto, Samya Hasan, Mandeep Mucina, Rishi Krishnamoorthy, Andrea Quaiattini, Gerry Veenstra, Gina Agarwal, Gurpreet Malhotra
Institutions: McGill University, University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Victoria, McGill University Health Centre, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Sickkids Research Institute, Alliance for South Asian Aids Prevention, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, McMaster University, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, University of British Columbia
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,839
Award: G6172865075
OpenAlex ID: W7150731919