Community scientist program provides bi-directional communication and co-learning between researchers and community members

Community involvement in research is key to translating science into practice, and new approaches to engaging community members in research design and implementation are needed. The Community Scientist Program, established at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in 2018 and expanded to two other...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical and translational science 2024, Vol.8 (1), p.e18-e18, Article e18
Main Authors: Alvarado, Jessica, Strong, Larkin L, Buzcu-Guven, Birnur, Thompson, Leonetta B, Cantu, Erica, Carrier, Chelsea C, Chukwu, Chiamaka D, Harris, Cassandra L, Melendez, Luz K, Roberson, Crystal L, Ross, Angela M, Russell, Sophia C, Sanchez, Pablo, Tahanan, Amirali, Zdenek, Blair C, Reininger, Belinda M, McNeill, Lorna H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer
Caregivers
Chronic illnesses
co-learning
Communication
Community
Community engagement
community scientists
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Feasibility studies
Feedback
Human subjects
Implementation, Policy and Community Engagement
Patients
Public health
Quality control
Research design
Research methodology
Researchers
Role playing
Scientists
Special Communications
Texas
translational researchers
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Summary:Community involvement in research is key to translating science into practice, and new approaches to engaging community members in research design and implementation are needed. The Community Scientist Program, established at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in 2018 and expanded to two other Texas institutions in 2021, provides researchers with rapid feedback from community members on study feasibility and design, cultural appropriateness, participant recruitment, and research implementation. This paper aims to describe the Community Scientist Program and assess Community Scientists' and researchers' satisfaction with the program. We present the analysis of the data collected from 116 Community Scientists and 64 researchers who attended 100 feedback sessions, across three regions of Texas including Northeast Texas, Houston, and Rio Grande Valley between June 2018 and December 2022. Community Scientists stated that the feedback sessions increased their knowledge and changed their perception of research. All researchers (100%) were satisfied with the feedback and reported that it influenced their current and future research methods. Our evaluation demonstrates that the key features of the Community Scientist Program such as follow-up evaluations, effective bi-directional communication, and fair compensation transform how research is conducted and contribute to reducing health disparities.
ISSN:2059-8661
2059-8661
DOI:10.1017/cts.2023.703