November 2025

NEUROSCIENCES

COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH: A PATH TO MORE REPRESENTATIVE, EFFICIENT AND IMPACTFUL STUDIES IN NEUROLOGY

Neurologic disorders are a leading cause of death and a major threat to health, making it increasingly urgent to reduce the risk, severity and disability associated with these conditions.

Traditional research approaches have been slow to address these complex and widespread health burdens. On average, it takes 17 years for a basic science discovery to reach the public.

Although numerous interventions and practices have been shown to improve outcomes for neurologic diseases, their benefits have not been fully realized — a challenge often referred to as the “know-do gap.” For example:
  • Evidence-based treatments such as acute stroke thrombolytics and epilepsy surgery remain underused.
  • Uptake of newer therapies, such as anti-amyloid medications, has been limited due to testing availability, specialist shortages and delayed diagnosis.

To achieve population-level health gains, research must go beyond identifying new therapeutics — it must also ensure their successful implementation.

Community-engaged research (CER), a collaborative approach that involves constituents in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings, offers a promising approach to bridge this gap by:
  • Enhancing representation
  • Improving study design and conduct
  • Prioritizing implementation to translate findings into real-world neurologic impact 
Lesli E. Skolarus, MD, Vice Chair of Faculty Development, Chief of Stroke and Vascular Neurology and Professor of Neurology (Stroke and Vascular Neurology) and Medical Social Sciences (Implementation Science) at Northwestern Medicine
Sara Hassani, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology (Stroke and Vascular Neurology) at Northwestern Medicine

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