Community scientist program to strengthen community engagement in translational research

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Meaningful inclusion of communities in research is both an ethical imperative and a driver of more equitable, relevant, and trustworthy science. Yet communities remain underrepresented as research partners due to historical non-inclusion, structural barriers, and a lack of institutional pathways that build shared language and sustained opportunities for engagement. We developed and evaluated community scientist (CS) training program to prepare community members to engage as partners across the translational research continuum. Methods: Mayo Clinic launched the CS program in 2021 as a one-day training and expanded to a four-week course in 2022 and an eight-week program with a six-week experiential assignment in 2023–2024, with asynchronous options added in 2025. The curriculum integrates didactic instruction with applied learning in research ethics and Institutional Review Board processes, genomics, biobanking, clinical trial diversity, social determinants of health, and researcher-community collaboration. Pre- and post-training surveys assessed participants’ familiarity with key research domains, with additional evaluation of experiential learning. Results: Forty-eight participants completed pre-training survey and 30 completed the full didactic program. Familiarity with CS role increased from 43.8% to 100%. Familiarity with genomics and biobanking increased from 20.8% to 94.1%, and familiarity with research ethics/IRB processes increased from 45.8% to 94.1%. Participants reported improved understanding (82%), confidence (80%), overall satisfaction (89%), and ability (70%) to partner with research teams. Conclusion: This CS experiential training model increased readiness for partnership among diverse community members across three regions. The model strengthens institutional infrastructure for community-engaged research and supports community-relevant translation across research settings.