Grant: Catalyst Grant: Partnering for Impact - IPPH - Structural Determinants of Health

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease that continues to affect people in Canada, particularly those experiencing barriers such as unstable housing and limited access to healthcare. Rates are especially high in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES), where poverty, housing insecurity, and overlapping health challenges contribute to ongoing transmission. Despite effective treatments, new infections continue to emerge, underscoring that current TB prevention and screening approaches are not adequately meeting community needs. To address this gap, we will bring together community members, health providers, researchers, and public health leaders to find better solutions. Led in partnership with the DTES Community Research Ethics Workshop (CREW), this project will co-design TB screening and prevention strategies that reflect the realities, priorities, and experiences of those most affected. The project will take place in three stages. First, community workshops will share information and gather input on people's preferences for TB prevention and screening. Next, small group sessions will refine and prioritize these ideas. Finally, co-design workshops will turn these priorities into service models that map out the full pathway of care - from first contact, to screening, to getting results and follow-up care. Peer researchers with lived and living experience will guide the process, and all activities will include supports such as food, honoraria, and accessible meeting spaces. At the end of the project, we will have a community-informed blueprint for TB screening and prevention in the DTES, with lessons that can be shared and adapted in other Canadian cities. This will help reduce the spread of TB, improve care, and make services more responsive to the people who need them most. Beyond TB, this project will also show how health research can be done in partnership with communities, helping guide future work to reduce health inequities in Canada.