CIRTification
A Translational Science Case Study
The UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science Regulatory and Community Engagement units have supported the development, maintenance, and dissemination of CIRTification, an online training program designed to provide community research partners with human research protections knowledge and skills. CIRTification is an alternative to training programs that are not as accessible or relevant for community partners who do not have formal research training. CIRTification focuses on the key concepts in research ethics and, while providing inclusive and relatable content that resonates with community partners’ experiences and the roles they will have on research projects.
Development
Like anyone working in research, community research partners need human research protections training. But standard training programs are designed for career researchers; they contain complex scientific jargon and assume a certain level of familiarity with research concepts. In Chicago, we learned that some community partners had been required to complete multiple similar training programs to work with different Chicago academic institutions. Starting almost 15 years ago, Dr. Emily Anderson, a bioethicist and director of CCTS’ Regulatory Core, conducted focus groups with community partners and investigators to identify gaps in existing programs. What she heard was that existing training programs lacked relevant content, were neither interactive nor engaging, were sometimes inaccessible due to technological, logistical, or financial challenges, were not culturally sensitive and inclusive, and did not address important real-world challenges faced by community partners responsible for recruitment, informed consent, and data collection.
Based upon the feedback, Dr. Anderson created an initial set of training materials to facilitate in-person delivery of human research protections training to community research partners that would be more relevant and accessible, including practical examples and real-world scenarios. Materials were initially tested in in-person training sessions, and feedback from these sessions was used to further refine and improve the content. English and Spanish versions of these materials – including a facilitator handbook, PowerPoint slides, handouts for activities, and a participant workbook, continue to be available on the CCTS website.
Evolution
To meet the needs of community research partners, researchers, and HRPPs CIRTification has continued to evolve. As more academic researchers began to collaborate with community partners, demand increased to make the training even more accessible. Transitioning to an online format would allow community partners to complete the training at their own convenience and minimize the institutional resources needed to deliver and access the training. Using the existing in-person training materials as a starting point and supplementing them with informed consent training videos she had produced shortly after first developing CIRTification, Dr. Anderson “translated” CIRTification into an online format that included interactive elements to engage participants in their learning experience. About 25 community partners, researchers, and staff of human research protections programs (HRPPs) provided substantive input to ensure that the materials were comprehensive and adequately addressed the needs of all stakeholders.
CIRTification Online launched in early 2020, and since then it has been translated into Spanish and Haitian Creole, with plans to support future translation into additional languages. To support the Haitian Creole translation done by the Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute (MTCSI), the UIC CIRTification team provided text files for all screen images and audio. Bilingual MTCSI staff translated written materials and recorded new audio files, and from this UIC CCTS Translational Technology Services staff built a Haitian Creole version using the UIC CCTS Online Training Center platform. This process allows any translated version to be available worldwide to anyone at any institution.
Challenges
The uptake of CIRTification faced several challenges. The launch of the online version coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which initially slowed dissemination efforts and impacted the ability to reach community partners effectively. Supporting HRPPs to implement CIRTification as an alternative to traditional training programs has required substantial effort and advocacy. Change requires approval and buy-in from multiple parties, and some institutions prefer “one-size-fits-all” training policies to simplify tracking.
Growth & Impact
Since the initial challenges of launching the online version of CIRTification during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of users continues to grow year over year. Currently, there are 60 enrolled sites whose HRPPs have accepted CIRTification as an alternative to other traditional training programs, and more than 7,900 registered users. There are 37 institutions at 36 CTSA hubs, including 31 primary awardee institutions who currently support the use of CIRTification to train community research partners. CIRTification is in preparation to launch a training refresher course for community research partners who have completed initial CIRTification training and need to update their training.