Discontinuing the Term “Stakeholder” From the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory Engaging Partners Team: An Example of the Process of Language Change in an Organization

In this paper, we describe our process of changing language of the National Institute on Aging Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer's disease and AD-related dementias Clinical Trials Collaboratory (NIA IMPACT Collaboratory) “Stakeholder Engagement Team” to “Engaging Partners Team” in response to feedback from community partners regarding the problematic connotations of the term “stakeholder.” We present a brief history of the term “stakeholder” and its use in clinical and community-engaged research. Then, we summarize critiques of this term, including its colonial history and potential to reinforce complacency with generational traumas, particularly among Indigenous peoples and communities. We conclude with a detailed overview of our team and organization's multi-step process to discontinue use of the term “stakeholder,” in alignment with a theoretical model of organizational behavior change. This paper highlights the importance of critically evaluating language and responding to community partners. We hope our process can guide other researchers and organizations.