Thanks to our supporters who voted in the university-wide Diversity Innovation Grant (DIG) crowdsourcing competition, our proposal was funded! We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to provide Diversity Equity and Inclusion training to research program coordinators and managers on best practices for enrolling older adults from minoritized populations who have been historically underrepresented in research (e.g., Blacks and LGBTQ+ people).
This training will be open to research staff members in all departments across the university where older adults are being recruited to research studies (Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, etc.).
Specifically, the DIG funding will support training for 20 staff who are involved in recruiting older adults into ongoing clinical research studies—a goal we seek to achieve by June 30, 2023. Here is the timeline to roll out this initiative:
- February: We will host a webinar to share information about this training program, and to recruit participants. Stay tuned for details—coming soon!
- March: We will select 20 research staff who will participate and ask each participant to complete a pre-training survey to self-rate their competencies for recruiting and engaging with diverse older adult populations.
- April: Training to start for all staff members. The curriculum includes two required courses: Faster Together, Enhancing the Recruitment of Minorities in Clinical Trials (Coursera); and Supporting LGBTQ+ Older Adults (SAGECare).
- May: Training to be completed by the end of the month.
- June: Participants will be asked to complete a post-training survey. We will also hold a meeting for participants to debrief, and to share ideas for incorporating the knowledge gained into their work.
If you would like to participate in this training program, or if you have any questions about it, please contact Brian Buta. Again, many thanks to those who made funding this important proposal a priority in DIG’s crowdsourcing. It couldn’t have happened without your energetic support.
By Anthony L. Teano, MLA
Communications Specialist