Community Scientist Academy
Increasing community stakeholders’ awareness and understanding of research and to increase engagement throughout the entire translational research process
The CCTS Community Engagement Program hosted its first-ever Community Scientist Academy (CSA) in the fall of 2018. This program, which was originally developed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Translational Research Institute, provided 15 community members with an introduction to the clinical and translational research process. | Register for the Spring 2019 CSA
The CSA aims to increase community stakeholders’ awareness and understanding of research and to increase engagement throughout the entire translational research process. Over a series of six interactive sessions, attendees were exposed to an array of topics, including: how research teams formulate their research questions and study designs; writing and submitting research grants; the grant review and regulatory processes; study implementation, analysis and dissemination; and of course opportunities for community members to get involved at each of these stages. Each session included an opportunity to meet experienced research faculty and/or research support staff to ask questions and learn more about how the research process works.
The goal of the CSA program is to equip stakeholders in the community with the knowledge, resources, and opportunities they need to become “research-ready” community partners. Since last fall, five CSA graduates have signed on to become CCTS Community Pilot Grant Reviewers, and one graduate has been selected to serve as a community reviewer for an Institutional Review Board (IRB) in cancer research.
The CCTS will host its second Community Scientist Academy, beginning in March 2019.