Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41639862›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal for equity in health2026

How is academic medicine engaging with community health workers in the United States?: a systematic review.

Liana J Petruzzi, Akhil Mandalapu, Bruce Mang, Eric Quan, Imelda Vetter, Joshua Collier, Ricardo Garay, Rishit Yokananth, Carmen R Valdez, Rebecca Cook and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal for equity in health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Liana J PetruzziDepartment of Health Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20018, USA. lpetruzzi@american.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5528-9839
Akhil MandalapuHarvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0845-6884
Bruce MangLong School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4135-2657
Eric QuanGraduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3130-4546
Imelda VetterDell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5402-0512
Joshua CollierDell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5301-024X
Ricardo GarayDell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6894-8971
Rishit YokananthNeuroscience Department, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4535-6660
Carmen R ValdezUT Health San Antonio, Kate Marmion School of Public Health, San Antonio, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7608-4146
Rebecca CookDell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7667-2397
Tim MercerDell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8831-0569

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveCHWs are a key workforce to address health disparities and offer expertise in community engagement, health promotion, and system navigation. Academic Medical Institutions (AMIs) play a critical role in supporting CHW workforce development and training, yet a systematic review of how AMIs engage with CHWs has not been conducted.

methodsLiterature was systematically searched in November 2022 and February 2024 from the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, SocINDEX, and PsychInfo. Forward and backward citation searches in February 2025 identified an additional 64 articles. We reviewed 347 full-text articles, and 136 were included in the final sample.

resultsCHW/AMI engagement was delineated by three, non-mutually exclusive categories: 1) intervention implementation/evaluation (n = 104); 2) workforce development (n = 32), and 3) community-based participatory research (CBPR) (n = 23). Intervention implementation and evaluation studies measured the effectiveness of CHWs in a variety of healthcare settings. Among intervention studies that assessed efficacy, 52 (79%) found that CHWs significantly improved at least one health outcome. In workforce development, AMIs developed specialized training for CHWs or incorporated CHWs into training for medical students and residents. In CBPR studies, CHWs contributed to recruitment, community engagement, needs assessment, data collection, and community expertise. However, CHWs were rarely included in the interpretation or dissemination of findings, or as authors.

conclusionsCHWs contribute to AMI’s tripartite mission and preventive medicine efforts including addressing health disparities, improving patient outcomes and educating future doctors. Developing sustainable CHW career paths with equitable payment structures is essential to move from engagement to partnership.

Indexed as

Academic Medical CentersCommunity Health WorkersCommunity-Based Participatory ResearchHumansUnited StatesAcademic medical centersCommunity-based participatory researchCommunity health workersHealth disparitiesPreventive health services

Identifiers

PMID41639862
PMCPMC12922393

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.