Building Trust in Health Science Through Community Partnership and Lived Experience Action Collaborative
About the Program
Strengthening trust in health science, together.
The NAM Building Trust in Health Science Collaborative, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, brings together community members, researchers, and institutions to strengthen public confidence in health science.
By making research more open, collaborative, and responsive to the people it serves, this initiative explores how to restore trust and close the gap between scientific institutions and the broader public. Through genuine community partnership, public education, and thoughtful data practices, the Collaborative aims to make science better serve the people behind the data and support the health of all.
New Video
Trust in health science is not built through information alone. It depends on whether people believe the institutions asking for their trust have listened, followed through, and made room for communities to help shape that work from the beginning.
Meet some of the Action Collaborative members in this new video →
Launch Webinar
Building Trust in Health Science Roundtable: Learning & Leading—Together
During this virtual roundtable, we shared background information and initial components of the Building Trust in Health Science Collaborative, presenting its foundational goals and strategic framework. This convening marks the beginning of a public-facing dialogue, where we invite open input, feedback, and shared reflection to shape the path forward together.
Tamarak Institute Consultants
Daren Okafo
Daren Okafo is the Consulting Director of Collective Leadership at The Tamarack Institute Learning Centre. Originally hailing from Dublin, Ireland, Daren has spent his entire 30 years career working in community development and engagement, learning alongside communities throughout Canada, Europe and Africa. A veteran community adult educator, for 16 years Daren honed his popular education and facilitation skills at The Coady International Institute, drawing directly from the storied Antigonish Movement. He founded and led The Coady’s Innovations and Technology work and has pioneered a number of critical methodologies for community-led technology education and co-design. More recently, he has evolved his critical pedagogy leading to a community-centric, collective leadership practice that centers dialogue and participation with a crucial focus on collective futures, power, race and coloniality.
Daren has held senior positions at The Community Sector Council of NS, Immigrant Services Association of NS, The Irish Adult Literacy Agency and has been championing collective leadership innovation as a senior nonprofit consultant in NS for the last decade. More recently, Daren has been working to expand the presence for Future Studies and methodologies in the community sector in Canada. A research associate at University of Bristol’s noted Centre for Sociodigital Futures, he’s excited about the potential to deploy the inspiring Futures toolbox to enhance work in the sector.
Heather Keam
Heather Keam is a leader in community-driven change and a champion for belonging. As Consulting Director of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) at the Tamarack Institute, she brings over 25 years of experience helping governments and organizations move from talk to action through community-led, relationship-centered approaches.
Heather is known for designing and facilitating processes that bring people together—building trust, sparking innovation, and creating shared ownership of change. She blends Asset-Based Community Development, Results-Based Accountability, and Collective Impact to help teams elevate community voice and achieve measurable results.
A long-time Steward of the ABCD Institute, Heather works closely with John McKnight and others to deepen the practice of ABCD across Canada. Her work is grounded in the belief that communities already hold the wisdom, strengths, and relationships to shape their own futures.
Why Trust Through Community Partnership Matters for Health Science
Health touches every part of our lives—it lives in the voices of elders, the memories of caregivers, and the everyday choices made in homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Building trust begins with listening—to stories passed down, moments of challenges and resilience, and lived experiences that carry the weight of generations. Experiences reveal what data alone cannot, helping to co-create health science that is shaped with the wisdom of those who live its consequences.
Long-term trust grows when scientists and institutions are transparent, inclusive, and communicate clearly—especially how research is conducted and why it matters for health and well-being. Working with communities helps ensure that scientific efforts are better understood, more relevant to everyday life, and ultimately more effective.
Our people
Meet Our Action Collaborative Members
Community voice and lived experience are essential to making scientific guidance understandable, relevant, and trustworthy.
Diverse thought and regional representation strengthen the credibility and reach of any solution; this Collaborative intentionally brings those perspectives forward. The initiative is grounded in humility: it aims to follow community leadership and to support solutions that endure because they reflect real needs and realities.
View the full bios of our Action Collaborative Members here >>
NAM Staff
Sponsor
Have Questions?
Get in Touch
To learn more about the NAM’s Building Trust in Health Science Collaborative, contact [email protected]. You can also join our mailing list for program updates.
