Context: African Americans (AA) are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) than non-Hispanic whites, yet they are underrepresented in clinical research. More than 90% of individuals with T2D are managed by their primary care providers. It is important to build and increase diabetes research capacity in primary care settings. We are employing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop processes at the East Carolina University (ECU), Greenville, NC, to conduct diabetes research that is clinically relevant, feasible in primary care practice, meaningful and acceptable to AA patients. Objective: To bring together AA patients with T2D and prediabetes, their caregivers and stakeholders from the impacted community, with ECU’s healthcare professionals and researchers to build capacity to conduct patient centered outcomes research (PCOR). Study Design: CBPR approach involving qualitative methods (focus groups). Setting: The Departments of Family Medicine and Public Health at ECU collaborated with the West Greenville Health Council, an AA-serving, community-based non-profit organization. Population studied: Current members of this collaborative, "East Carolina (EC) Partners", include AA patients with T2D and prediabetes, their caregivers, physicians (family medicine, general internal medicine, and pediatrics), dieticians, diabetes educators, lifestyle coaches, a health psychologist, a pharmacist, a clinic administrative staff member, and public health researchers. Intervention: EC Partners began engagement activities in October 2019. The engagement plan centered on team-building and activities included internal review of documents, initial core patient partner engagement, inclusion of additional patient partners and healthcare professionals, and expanded team co-learning. Learning sessions focused on diabetes, CBPR and PCOR. Outcome Measures: Primary outcome is to develop a sustainable patient engagement plan for ECU’s primary care diabetes research programs. Secondary outcomes include developing a diabetes-focused PCOR question, preliminary CBPR study design while increasing awareness and capacity at ECU to conduct patient-engaged research. Results & Conclusions: Over next 4 months EC Partners plan to develop a diabetes related PCOR question pertinent to the AA community and a study design along with conducting focus groups to evaluate all EC Partners to finalize our patient engagement plan. We plan to report these at the conference.