Collective caretaking

On Tuesday of National Public Health Week, UC Irvine's Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health convened researchers, students, community leaders, and Orange and Los Angeles county residents for a conversation that felt less like a traditional academic event and more like a shared reflection on what public health can - and should - be.

At its core, the gathering shared the simple but powerful idea that public health begins with community.

Across presentations and discussions, speakers returned to a consistent theme: Community members should not be passive participants in research; rather, they are its foundation, its drivers and its leaders.

From research to relationships

From environmental justice efforts in Los Angeles to lead exposure research in Santa Ana and family-based health interventions across Orange County, Wen Public Health is demonstrating how community-oriented research propels meaningful change - showcasing the power of partnerships to reshape public health from the ground up.

That approach is central to Skills-Based Educational Strategies to Reduce Vascular Events in Orange County, a three-year study that has enrolled 190 local families in an effort to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. It centers on entire families rather than individuals, using culturally tailored strategies guided by the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8.

SERVE OC is led by Wen Public Health founding Dean Bernadette Boden-Albala, with contributions from Matthew Landry, an assistant professor of population health who focuses on nutrition and physical activity interventions to improve cardiovascular outcomes; Desiree Gutierrez, a research project manager at the school; and Maria Haddad of Latino Health Access.

What distinguishes the project is not just its design but who it involves.

Community health workers known as promotoras serve as the bridge between research and daily life. Haddad engages directly with families to set goals, provide education and connect them to resources. As someone from the community she serves, Haddad fills a role that's both practical and deeply relational.

"Real change happens when someone knocks on your door," she says.

Through regular, in-person sessions and ongoing support, families begin to shift habits together. In one example shared during the Tuesday event, a family facing health challenges started implementing simple nightly exercises collectively, a small change that reflects a larger transformation rooted in mutual care and accountability.

Environmental justice, lived experience and community science

For many speakers, the work is personal. Community organizers described growing up in neighborhoods shaped by pollution and disinvestment, witnessing how environmental conditions affect health across generations.

These lived experiences are not separate from the research; they are what drive it.

That perspective is especially evident in Santa Ana, where community concerns about soil contamination led to a collaborative research effort examining lead exposure across the city.

Presenters on this topic included Maya Cheav of Orange County Environmental Justice; Erika Ramirez-Mayoral of GREEN-MPNA; Alana LeBrón, associate professor of health, society and behavior at Wen Public Health, who studies structural racism and health in Latino populations using community-based participatory approaches; and Jun Wu, professor of environmental and occupational health at Wen Public Health, whose research examines how environmental exposures including air pollution, climate and neighborhood conditions shape maternal, child and community health.

Investigators identified alarmingly high levels of lead in some areas, far exceeding state and federal safety thresholds.

"There is no safe level of lead exposure," Wu said. "Children are especially vulnerable - biologically and socially."

The research, which involved more than 1,500 soil samples from homes, parks, schools and industrial areas, revealed that exposure risks are not evenly distributed - disproportionately affecting low-income neighborhoods and those of color.

But beyond the data, the project revealed something equally important: the power of community-driven inquiry.

Residents were not simply subjects of the study. They helped shape the questions, collect data and interpret findings, work that has already contributed to policy discussions, public health planning and advocacy efforts.

Data, technology and the limits of measurement

In Los Angeles, environmental justice advocates are combining satellite data with community-led mapping and storytelling to better understand how air pollution, urban heat and access to green space affect daily life.

The work is led by Roberto Bustillo of Communities for a Better Environment and Jason Douglas, Wen Public Health associate professor and vice chair of health, society and behavior, who investigates environmental health disparities in Black and historically marginalized communities, including work with NASA using satellite data to examine air pollution, urban heat and inequities in local resources.

Jason Douglas, Wen Public Health associate professor and vice chair of health, society and behavior, gives a presentation on community-driven environmental research using participatory geographic information systems, air monitoring and PhotoVoice. "Data can show where it's hot," he says, "but not where people experience harm." Steve Zylius / UC Irvine

Using participatory geographic information systems, air monitoring and methods such as PhotoVoice, residents document environmental conditions in their own neighborhoods - mapping heat hot spots, identifying pollution exposure and highlighting gaps in green space.

These approaches reveal disparities that traditional datasets often miss, including significantly higher temperatures in low-income neighborhoods and limited access to areas with grass, trees or parks.

Trust as the foundation

Across all the projects highlighted, one theme emerged consistently: Data alone is not enough.

Research plays a critical role in identifying problems and informing solutions, but lasting change depends on trust, relationships and shared power.

Speakers emphasized that trust must be built intentionally, long before a study begins, and sustained through transparency and accountability. That includes creating space for communities to lead.

Equally important, the panel noted, is ensuring that knowledge is accessible. Spanish interpretation was provided throughout the event, reinforcing a commitment to removing barriers and sharing information beyond academic spaces.

A shift toward collective action

The impact of this approach is already visible. Families in SERVE OC are improving their health together. Community-led environmental research is informing policy conversations. Youth and residents are stepping into leadership roles, using data to advocate for safer, healthier neighborhoods.

Still, challenges remain, including the need for sustained funding, stronger institutional support and more direct engagement among researchers, policymakers and impacted communities.

Yet Tuesday's event had a tone of possibility, not frustration.

It was a reminder that meaningful change happens when research is grounded in relationships, when communities are trusted as experts and when public health is treated not as just a field of study but as a shared responsibility.