What if people from all walks of life, from big cities to small villages, could change the world for the better, starting with their own neighborhood? This book synthesizes the work being done across the globe to engage community members, regardless of language, location, or circumstances, as “citizen scientists” in improving the health and welfare of their communities. It presents a proven community-driven method called "Our Voice," now active across six continents, which allows residents of all ages and backgrounds to document the conditions affecting their health and wellbeing, then partner with researchers and local policymakers to implement practical, lasting solutions.

This comprehensive volume provides a road-map through the Our Voice “by the people” research-to-action method. Through 41 chapters featuring real-world case studies, readers discover how Our Voice interventions have engaged a range of communities across the socio-economic spectrum; influenced policy changes and generated measurable improvements in local infrastructures; created sustainable partnerships across different sectors; and empowered residents of all ages as co-designers of healthier and more sustainable environments.

The book is organized in seven sections:

• Part I: Background and Overview, which describes the science and evolution of community-driven citizen science
• Part II: Citizen Science and Healthy Living
• Part III: Safety, Respect, Inclusion, and Equity
• Part IV: Citizen Science in Education and Training, from primary school through higher education
• Part V: New Directions, Connections, and Frontiers, including innovations in climate resilience, vector-borne disease, clinical care access, and other areas
• Part VI: Conclusion, which provides a synthesis, lessons learned, and future directions
• Part VII: Workbook, including ready-to-use tools, templates, and implementation guides

Community Voices Building Healthier Choices Together provides the conceptual framework, practical methods, and proven strategies to integrate the community voice into your work—whether you're a public health researcher seeking community engagement strategies, an urban planner wanting authentic resident input, an educator developing experiential learning opportunities, a policymaker pursuing evidence-based solutions, or a community organizer amplifying marginalized voices.

Abby C. King, PhD, recipient of Stanford’s David and Susan Heckerman Endowed Professorship, is Faculty Director of the Health-enhancing Action Research & Technology Solutions (HARTS) Lab and the Our Voice Citizen Science Research Initiative and Global Network. Her research focuses on the development, evaluation, and translation of public health interventions to reduce noncommunicable and communicable diseases and their risk factors. She uses state-of-the-art communication technologies, community-based participatory research methods, and citizen science approaches to address health for all worldwide. She has served on numerous government taskforces in the U.S. and abroad, and was one of 10 U.S. scientists honored by the Association of American Medical Colleges in 2014 for outstanding research supporting health for all. In 2022, She was the winner of Stanford University’s Miriam Aaron Roland Prize for Volunteer and Public Service and has been ranked among the inaugural list of “Best Female Scientists Worldwide” by Research.com, continuing through the present.

Maja Pedersen, PhD is Associate Professor in the School of Public and Community Health at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, USA. Dr. Pedersen uses participatory research approaches such as community-based participatory research and citizen science to develop, implement, evaluate, and translate public health interventions. She has engaged in training as a Fulbright Scholar to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway; a U.S. State Department Sports Diplomacy Delegate to Peru, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University. She focuses on health promotion, particularly in the areas of active living, social connection, and food and nutrition security. She uses a social ecological framework to address influences on health beyond the individual, and qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure her research process and outcomes are both scientifically meaningful and reflective of community-based priorities.