Assessing Community Engagement (ACE) Conceptual Model
No existing framework measured the impact of community engagement while treating health equity as central, not incidental.
Summary
In February 2022, the National Academy of Medicine published the Assessing Community Engagement (ACE) Conceptual Model, a framework developed by an Organizing Committee of community leaders, researchers, and policy advisors to help health systems engage communities meaningfully and measure the outcomes of that engagement. Built through a three-stage process of committee discussion, in-depth interviews with community leaders, and full-committee review, the model organizes engagement around four outcome domains — Strengthened Partnerships and Alliances, Expanded Knowledge, Improved Health and Health Care Programs and Policies, and Thriving Communities — each broken into specific, actionable indicators that radiate toward the shared goal of health equity and systems transformation.
Why it’s important
No existing model both assessed the impact of community engagement and centered diversity, inclusion, and health equity as core components rather than side considerations. The Committee identified more than 20 existing engagement frameworks and found none that combined outcome-based assessment with embedded equity across sectors and partnership types. The ACE model was built to fill that specific gap.
Real-world impact
A suite of implementation resources followed the model’s release, including seven Impact Stories and 28 Assessment Instruments intended to help a range of stakeholders — federal, state, and local agencies, tribal communities, community-based organizations, funders, academic institutions, care systems, and payers — measure and apply meaningful community engagement in practice.
Adapted from: Organizing Committee for Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement in Health & Health Care Programs & Policies. “Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement: A Conceptual Model to Advance Health Equity through Transformed Systems for Health.” NAM Perspectives, National Academy of Medicine, February 14, 2022. https://doi.org/10.31478/202202c. No individual byline; authored by the Organizing Committee.
