The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement and the Wayne State University School of Medicine's Center for Health Equity and Community Knowledge in Urban Populations invite community members to see research from “behind the scenes” with the Building Your Capacity training series and the Community Health Scholars Program.

The free courses prepare participants to partner with health researchers. Participants gain a basic understanding of the academic research process, as well as research terminology and concepts. Sessions for 2025 include a focus on cancer, but lessons learned apply to a wide range of public health issues.

“I was privileged enough to have the opportunity to be a member of the Conner Creek Cancer Action Council,” said Deborah Stewart Anderson, executive director of Zero Waste Detroit, a Cancer Action Council, or CAC, that was part of a statewide network of councils convened for cancer research advocacy. CACs offer an important human connection for those affected by cancer. They also, crucially, plug survivors into the health research process, giving them a community-centered voice in health outcomes.

“One of the things that we did while being on the council was to learn the Building Your Capacity curriculum,” Stewart Anderson said. BYC is part of what makes serving on a CAC a unique experience for survivors. “It was an opportunity for all those involved to be introduced to research. And we were. We went over research, evaluation and developing research questions. It was very in-depth. We also went through research and design.”

Seventeen learners have been accepted to the spring 2025 cohort of Building Your Capacity. More than 130 people have undergone the course since COE began offering it — almost three dozen since COE started recently offering an accelerated online version. Many have undergone the process as part of the requirements of CAC service, but the concepts in the BYC curriculum apply to work with researchers in many health areas. More recently, those who have completed the curriculum have joined Karmanos Cancer Institute’s Research Advisor Program . The RAP is a new initiative to integrate community members into activities and science of the three research programs at Karmanos: Population Studies and Disparities Research, Tumor Biology and Microenvironment, and Molecular Therapeutics. For additional information on RAP, contact COE Director Brittany Dowe at doweb@karmanos.org.
 
“I have worked very closely with a number of CAC members over several years on an intervention to improve how patients discuss cancer treatment costs with their care providers,” said Lauren Hamel, Ph.D., associate professor of WSU Oncology and co-program leader of the Population Studies and Disparities Research Program. “From the initial steps of that intervention design, CAC members provided critical feedback on issues related to the topic, the proposed solution and the delivery of the intervention.”

Dr. Hamel said she considers partnering with community research partners one of the best parts of her job.

“Community research partners already possess expertise, and the Building Your Capacity curriculum gives us a common language with which to conduct scientific research,” she said. “Time spent with citizen researchers always helps me narrow the focus of my current ideas, and also gives me new, impactful and practical ideas to pursue. Personally, the encouragement and passion of citizen research collaborators keeps me motivated.”

The BYC curriculum discusses how researchers design and carry out research, ethical considerations for research, advocacy and more. Applicants are encouraged to apply for upcoming courses at https://bit.ly/BYCApp25.

The nine-module training series allows participants to:

• Learn about research-related topics from experienced academic researchers.

• Network with others who share a passion for improving community health.

• Learn to be a knowledge source for their community about the value of research to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities.

Successful participants receive a certificate of completion and a digital badge that they can share to social media to showcase their new skills.

Community members are also invited to continue their research education journey through the more advanced Building and Applying Research Skills training course, part of the Community Health Scholars Program. The next cohort for that course is scheduled to start this month. Applicants are encouraged to apply now at https://bit.ly/CHSP25.
 
Community Health Scholars is part of WSU’S Center for Health Equity and Community Knowledge in Urban Populations, or CHECK-UP. The program builds on the BYC course to further equip lay members of diverse communities for partnering in — and even helping lead — research that promotes equitable health outcomes and reduces disparities in areas like cancer prevention and control. To date, 25 people have been trained through the program.

“The Building Your Capacity curriculum is foundational training,” said Hayley Thompson, Ph.D., director of CHECK-UP and professor of Oncology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “The Building and Applying Research Skills course goes even further to equip community members with competencies for collaboration and cooperation with health researchers.”

Scholars train to be partners and leaders in research through a range of roles: advisory board members, consultants and community co-investigators for specific research studies. Participants could also serve in formal research staff roles supporting participant recruitment, data collection and intervention delivery.

Apply for the Building Your Capacity program at https://bit.ly/BYCApp25. Apply for Building and Applying Research Skills at https://bit.ly/CHP2S5.