Lead Organization
Centre for Community Based Research
The Centre for Community Based Research (CCBR) is an independent, non-profit social research organization located in Kitchener, Ontario. Its mandate is to use “research and education to develop communities and human services that are responsive and supportive…and to advance the equitable participation and integration of all community members” (mission statement).
CCBR is a national leader in collaborative research and regularly bridges community and academia to support innovations in human service policy and practice. Much of this work has focused on innovations in community mental health and cultural diversity.
CCBR is experienced in managing complex, multi-site applied research studies involving diverse partners. It has conducted over 300 research and evaluation projects, leading over 25 peer-reviewed articles and books and over 135 technical research reports. Eight universities across Ontario have partnered with CCBR on previous research projects.
CCBR has become a trusted entity within the mental health field and in cultural diversity. It is nationally recognized for conducting research with mental health consumers/family members. The participatory action research approach typically used by CCBR is well suited to managing the diverse interests of research partners and to moving research into practical application.
CCBR also provides education, including training on how to conduct rigorous and ethical community research. CCBR staff have taught in various universities, offer research workshops for human service providers and have produced practical resource materials for community agencies, such as the popular and acclaimed Evaluation Handbook. CCBR trains and employs graduate students, offers practicum placements, and regularly employs mental health consumers and immigrants as community researchers.
CCBR is a dynamic organization with 15 core staff and up to 40 contract staff hired on a project basis. For more information about CCBR, visit its web site at: www.communitybasedresearch.ca.
Director
Joanna Ochocka is CURA Director, responsible for overall coordination of all CURA activities. As CURA Director, Joanna chairs all partnership group meetings and oversees all research, training and dissemination activities.
Joanna is Director of the Centre for Community Based Research (CCBR). Since becoming Director in 1996, the organization has grown in size and scope. However, Joanna has not lost sight of the importance of the individual, an approach that forms the essence of her participatory style of management.
Joanna has an academic background in Sociology (Ph.D.) and is a Faculty member in the Psychology Department at Wilfrid Laurier University . She teaches graduate students part-time and she is author of numerous academic articles and is co-author of the book: Shifting the Paradigm in Community Mental Health. For more information about Joanna, see her bio.