Community Health Worker Project
Advancing Research Best Practices for CHWs & Promotoras: A culturally- and linguistically-tailored workplace training program!
Community Health Workers and their Spanish-speaking counterparts, Promotoras (CHW/Ps), have a vital role in supporting research aimed at advancing health equity. Among their many job functions, CHW/Ps communicate with community members about research opportunities. CHW/Ps are also increasingly being asked to be involved in research studies. As trusted individuals within their communities, they are valued team members. Yet, there is no standard training in research best practices for this workforce that is so critical to the success of community-engaged research. Training is variable because national competencies for research best practices for CHW/Ps do not exist.
In an effort to fill this gap in workforce development, UC Davis Health CRHD and the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) partnered with the University of Michigan Health and the University of Florida for a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The team of academic partners joined with community partners to co-develop and test a culturally-and linguistically-tailored training highlighting research best practices. In the Sacramento area, the local community project partners were the Health Education Council, Visión y Compromiso, and the UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety. This training recognizes the importance of communication, having meaningful conversations, building trust, and providing accurate information and resources to community members about research.
The training is structured into five modules. Each module contains important information about community research:
- Research and Communities: Introduction to community-engaged research
- Recruitment: Strategies for identifying and engaging participants
- Informed Consent: Understanding and explaining the consent process
- Privacy and Confidentiality: Maintaining ethical standards in research
- Community Health and Well-being: Addressing social determinants of health
Course information, materials and resources are available online at no cost in English and Spanish. Training can be completed in the following formats:
- Online Course: Self-paced and accessible on a computer or mobile device
- Virtual Group Training: Facilitated sessions conducted via an online platform
- In-Person Group Training: Interactive sessions at a designated location
Visit the Advancing Research Best Practices website today and start learning!
Three manuscripts have been published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science to assess the efforts and pilot results of the training. The publications can be found at the following links:
Among other findings, the research best practices training was rated as useful and relevant by CHW/Ps, particularly for communicating about research with community members. The workforce training course can be a professional development resource and CHW/Ps appreciated having a facilitator with experience working in community-based settings.
Created in partnership with…
Funding for the development of this training course and website is from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, U01TR003409.
