Community Research Assistant Training Program

The Community Research Assistant (CRA) Training Program of the UAB Center for the Study of Community Health trains community members in research, including recruitment, consent, and data collection, and employs them as Community Research Assistants (CRAs) in ongoing studies. By investing in workforce development of local residents, the program creates economic growth and sustained community capacity. Currently, CRAs are assisting with the Housing, Environment, And Living Conditions for Transformed Health (HEALTHe Birmingham) study, which evaluates the health effects of neighborhood revitalization and public housing improvements made by the federally funded Choice Neighborhood Initiative in the Smithfield, Graymont, and College Hills communities. The CRAs recruit participants for the HEALTHe study, administer surveys, and collect study data on indoor air quality and lung health. CRAs are financially compensated for each participant they work with and for each equipment quality control check completed. Participants go on to use the skills they learned in the program beyond UAB. Support for UAB Giving Days will ensure this resource remains active and expands so that more community residents can be trained and hired for UAB research studies.

For a full list of UAB Giving Days projects, click here.