Recruitment & Retention at Healthy Community Day 2022

After two years without the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on June 4, 2022, the 22nd annual Healthy Community Day event returned to The Ohio State University Outpatient Care East. Vendors that promote well-being were eager to advocate for health equity due to the increased interest in medicine and health after the unprecedented times that society endured.

The CCTS Recruitment & Retention Services Program Manager, Mary Becker, and Program Coordinator, Clara Kalis, stood out in the crowd by speaking with attendees about the importance of participating in research, instead of their counterparts who lectured individuals about how to stay healthy. While all the other vendors were important when it came to giving advice about staying fit and eating right, Becker and Kalis were educating the masses about ways to help propel the future of medicine. They promoted ResearchMatch, a nationwide database that matches participants with researchers, and StudySearch, an Ohio State specific clinical trial data base, to bolster the importance of joining the movement of ground-breaking science. 

Accompanying the CCTS were more than 50 organizations and free health screenings/consultations by experts from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Along with that, there were food and cooking demonstrations, fitness displays, family entertainment, giveaways and raffles. According to the Columbus Dispatch, over 130 people received free health screenings in less than two hours, all while being entertained by the East High School Marching Band.

“This event helped promote what the CCTS has to offer,” says Kalis. “And not just the CCTS Recruitment Services Program, but many other terrific organizations within The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. I enjoyed walking around networking with other vendors, all while sharing the importance of participating in research.”

If you missed it this year, The Ohio State University Healthy Community Day will be back next Summer with even more to look forward to.

"I enjoy going every year," says Becker. "Not only do I meet new people, but to meet the people who want to change the world, but don't know where to start."

For more information about this past Healthy Community Day, please visit The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's website.