Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026
Hello, AEA365 community! Liz DiLuzio here, Lead Curator of the blog. This week is Individuals Week, which means we take a break from our themed weeks and spotlight the Hot Tips, Cool Tricks, Rad Resources and Lessons Learned from any evaluator interested in sharing. Would you like to contribute to future individuals weeks? Email me at AEA365@eval.org with an idea or a draft and we will make it happen.
Hi, I’m Anuja Sarda, Ph.D., a research associate working for the Office of Research and Organizational Development at Clemson University, South Carolina. I identify as an educator-qualitative researcher, whose background in teacher education and qualitative methods informs a reflexive approach to evaluation.
Engaging people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) through Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is widely recognized as ethical and effective. It ensures that PLWH are not just participants but co-creators of knowledge. Yet, what happens when you’re at step zero—no prior contacts, no direct access, and only a vision of inclusive engagement?
Programs often fail PLWH because their voices are absent from planning and evaluation. Without their input, services miss what matters most. CBPR offers a way to correct this imbalance by embedding community perspectives at every stage. For me, this is not optional—it’s essential.
Here’s the reality: I am starting from scratch. My engagement plan is informed by literature and best practices, but without direct connections to PLWH, these tools are educated guesses. This is the messy, uncertain space many researchers occupy when initiating work with a population they have never engaged before.
Access is the first challenge. I am reaching out to service providers and community leaders to build trust and create pathways to PLWH. This process demands hard questions:
Stakeholder engagement is not a checklist—it’s iterative, reflexive, and deeply relational.
At step zero, cultural humility and critical reflexivity are my compass. They remind me to:
These principles transform uncertainty into opportunity for equity-driven research.
If you’re starting at step zero, begin with humility and curiosity. Build relationships before designing tools. Service providers and community leaders can be your bridge to populations you hope to engage. CBPR is not about speed—it’s about trust, shared power, and listening louder.
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.