Training Interprofessional Community-Engaged Research Teams (TICERT) - To address poor health outcomes for communities and create a healthier society, research training in Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and community engaged projects for nurses must be scaled up and will require multidisciplinary perspectives including researchers from the communities being studied. Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU)’s proposed Training Community-Engaged Research Teams (T-CERT) program will provide direct 1-year educational research training experiences to 80 nurse-scientists over two cohorts, resulting in the creation of a T- CERT Toolkit to increase the reach and impact of this program throughout the nation. Long-Term Goal: To empower nurses to become leaders in community-engaged research, ultimately improving patient care and health outcomes through a deeper understanding of factors that influence health. The T-CERT program has recruited 20 distinguished faculty and 5 nurse scientists whose expertise spans a wide range of disciplines to advance community-engaged research and education. WesternU will appoint a group of knowledgeable professionals engaged in their communities for its Community Advisory Board. Specific Aims: 1) Equip nurses with comprehensive knowledge and skills to understand key drivers of health outcomes and best practices for conducting community-based research; 2) Integrate multidisciplinary approaches across a range of real-world settings into community-engaged skills development and research experiences. Outcomes: Program participants will have 1) assembled a network of mentors and colleagues to assist in future community-engaged research endeavors, and have a thorough understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of community-engaged research and be able to effectively engage, navigate and leverage these spheres of influence, 3) Nurse scientists will have developed a comprehensive community-engaged research program proposal to form the basis of a future NIH research grant proposal. 4) T-CERT Toolkit will be designed and posted on websites for healthcare providers to replicate the curriculum, model of delivery, and resources. Key Focus: To obtain key insights and perspectives from frontline healthcare workers in both community-engaged research and implementation and evaluation of interventions indicated by research findings making them an essential part of the solution to understanding and addressing community needs and health outcomes. Design Methods: The T-CERT program, designed for graduate students, early to mid-career researchers, and healthcare professionals, will provide instruction on community-engaged research frameworks, new research methodologies, how to conduct robust research, and the importance of involving researchers from communities being studied, through 5 curriculum units delivered virtually over the academic year. Participants will put concepts into practice in real-world and multidisciplinary settings with guidance from Research Mentors who prepare participants to conduct research and develop their own Capstone project–a research proposal centered on community needs to present at WesternU’s Summit on Community Health in Years 2-3.
