Opening Doors: Building an inclusive clinical research workforce in Sacramento

UC Davis Health has been awarded funding from the city of Sacramento and Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) to further bolster a workforce development program embraced by residents of local, underserved neighborhoods.

The $175,000 grant will support adding five trainees in 2025 who seek to become a Clinical Research Coordinator, or CRC. A CRC helps manage clinical trials at UC Davis Health. The jobs are in high demand, pay well, and college degrees aren’t necessary.

UC Davis Health created the workforce development initiative — known as Join The Team — to provide a baseline knowledge for students and help them find employment as CRCs. The program combines community partnerships, CRC Foundations didactic training and internships.

The program is led by UC Davis Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) in partnership with the City of Sacramento, SETA and La Familia Counseling Center.

At the core is the Join the Team workforce model, which offers training, paid experience and wraparound support. Since launching in 2021, 27 participants have completed the program, with an 80% job placement rate at institutions like UC Davis Health, UCSF and other health systems.

As a result, UC Davis Health is developing a new generation of clinical research professionals from Sacramento’s underserved neighborhoods.

“With this grant, we’re not only funding a training program — we’re investing in people and in the future of clinical research,” said Olga Kishchenko, the education program manager at CTSC’s Clinical Trials Office. “The CRC Foundations program reflects our anchor mission: to uplift our community by opening doors to meaningful careers in research and ensuring our workforce reflects the region we serve. Together, we are creating a more skilled and resilient research ecosystem.”

Highlights of the training program include:

• 240 hours of classroom instruction at UC Davis Health
• 800 hours of paid on-the-job training
• Mentoring, job readiness skills and other services offered by La Familia Counseling Center.

During the 11 weeks of paid training, participants also learn to support ethical, inclusive clinical trials, and gain skills that directly affect public health. Then, during the 5-month internships, the students will apply their knowledge to real life clinical research projects .

The need for CRCs is clear: Demand for clinical trials grows by 12% annually, yet the research workforce to staff hundreds of the studies grows at around 9%. The workforce development program intends to narrow that gap while advancing health equity and economic opportunity in neighborhoods such as Oak Park.

The program also strengthens UC Davis Health’s Anchor Institution Mission — a commitment to hire locally, invest in communities and build an inclusive health ecosystem.

The CRC Foundations program proves what is possible when public institutions invest in people: Careers are created, trust is built, and health outcomes improve for all.

The recent funding from Sacramento and SETA follows a $190,000 grant that helped expand the program.

Outcomes related to the program’s expansion will be shared in upcoming publications. Future plans for the program include expanding its partnerships with community colleges.

For more information, please reach out to Education Program Manager Olga Kishchenko at okishchenko@ucdavis.edu or call: 916-813-1214.

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