Building Capacity in Community Based and Participatory Research among Diverse Stakeholders

Background: The Community-Based Research Traineeship (CBR Traineeship) is a novel research capacity building curriculum developed in response to our community stakeholders' interest in research training to fully participate in all stages of research. The Traineeship was part of a larger infrastructure development initiative at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) to spur community led and academic-community collaborative research. The Traineeship was promoted to junior faculty, community clinicians, and community based organizations (CBO) with limited to no experience in research. Methods: The Community Engagement Resource (CER) at CUMC developed a 9 month curriculum on research methods, community-based participatory research, and responsible conduct of research. Traineeship participants included 3 CBO senior administrators, 2 CUMC junior faculty, and 4 community clinicians. Each participant received a $2,000 stipend. Participants were matched with a mentor for the entire training period. Participants developed a pilot proposal for funding consideration by the CER. Results: On average, participants attended 75% of sessions. Of the eligible participants, 63% submitted a proposal for pilot funding. Reasons most often cited by participants who did not submit a proposal were time constraints and competing priorities. Four grants were awarded totaling $26,000. Minority researchers represented 75% of award recipients. Discussion: The Community-Based Research Traineeship with its educational curriculum, design structure, and unique mix of diverse participants does build research capacity. This traineeship is the first of its kind and has served as a model for other academic institutions interested in building capacity in translational research among beginning researchers from diverse settings.