CIRTification training program continues to expand to academic research institutions nationwide
CIRTification is a human research protections training program used by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to meet the unique needs of community partners collaborating with academic study teams. With over 5,000 trained individuals and nearly 60 partner institutions across the United States, CIRTification is becoming a popular option for community engaged research teams, helping community partners prepare to translate their unique knowledge and skills to research collaborations.
A community-defined challenge Heading link
The idea for CIRTification came to Emily Anderson, currently professor in the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Healthcare Leadership at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine, back in 2008. At the time, Anderson was a project director in UIC’s Institute for Health Research and Policy and was inspired when colleagues also working in the community engagement space approached her with a request to develop human research protections training specifically for community partners.
“At that time, community research partners were particularly challenged when they worked with multiple academic institutions in Chicago. It wasn’t just that they would have to do the required human research protections training one time, but- for example- they would have to do training through Northwestern University and UIC if they if they wanted to partner with investigators at each institution,” said Anderson.
Many academic institutions require investigators to complete training through commercially available products, the most common of which is Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative or CITI. However, CITI training was not developed with the nuances of community engaged research in mind, and it operates on the assumption that trainees have a foundational education in research methods and can understand various terms and concepts out of the gate. This is often not the case with individuals working in community organizations who function outside of the scientific sphere.
With first-hand experience in community engaged research and a doctoral degree in healthcare ethics, Anderson was uniquely positioned to take on the challenge of creating a training platform more conducive to the needs of community partners. Supported by funding and resources from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science, she began the formative research necessary to identify a solution.
A community-informed solution Heading link
As Anderson considered what this alternative training would entail, she was able to draw upon a wealth of community-based expertise through the C3- a collaboration spearheaded by CTSAs at UIC, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University as well as the Chicago Department of Public Health- in addition to her personal network of research ethicists and human research protection program (HRPP) professionals.
“I had to make sure that it was accepted not only by the learners but also to the people who need to give approval for its use,” said Anderson. “I held focus groups asking investigators to share their ‘dirty laundry’- problems that happened in studies that made them realize the training didn’t click. I asked experienced community partners for their input on what standard training misses in the community context, as well as concepts in training that, for whatever reason, just didn’t resonate with them.”
These conversations laid the foundation for the first iteration of the program: a set of in-person training materials that would be relevant for community members who would be responsible for recruiting and obtaining consent from participants as well as collecting and managing health data.
Implementing change Heading link
With much of the human research protection training informed by federal and institutional regulations, Anderson was able to integrate the formative research findings and lean into a delivery mechanism that made sense for community partners.
Due to early feedback that web-based training formats were challenging, CIRTification’s initial model was in-person delivery with a series of downloadable slide decks, a facilitator manual, and a participant workbook.
Since its initial inception, however, access to technology changed substantially. The majority of Americans now have access to smartphones, computers and improved internet speeds. And although many institutions were using and reporting satisfaction with the in-person format, Anderson received requests for a delivery mechanism with more flexibility – especially from smaller institutions with fewer resources.
“I had investigators describe situations where they were adding a new person to the project midstream or maybe had just one community partner, and that resource intensive model was not working for them. I also realized that it’s helpful for some investigators to have their community partners complete an online training before they do protocol-specific training. It gets them ready to understand what their job is going to be on the study,” said Anderson.
In 2020, CIRTification launched its online training platform, made available through a learning management system developed by the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
Looking to the future Heading link
Together with Alison Santiago, a senior regulatory specialist in the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Anderson continues to fine tune CIRTification. The program is now available in Spanish and Haitian Creole thanks to collaborative efforts with Georgetown University and University of Miami respectively. They continue to seek input from community engaged researchers, community partners and HRPP professionals. Current insights are informing a “refresher” course, which will launch in 2025.
While anyone, anywhere can complete CIRTification training free of charge, Santiago’s outreach efforts have greatly bolstered program awareness and implementation throughout the United States. Anderson and Santiago have presented on CIRTification at HRPP conferences across the country, including the Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R)- a professional organization for IRB professionals, IRB members, and others interested in human and animal research ethics- as well as the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs and the Office of Human Research Protections within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“There has been an increase in institutions’ willingness to accept CIRTification because there are more community engaged researchers these days and more community-based research going on. HRPPs are receiving a lot of feedback that these community partners face barriers, and CIRTification is a potential solution,” said Santiago.
If your institution is interested in learning more about CIRTification or accessing a program demo, email cirtification@uic.edu.