The Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE) is a validated social needs screening tool widely used in primary care but rarely adapted for the emergency department (ED). We evaluated the feasibility of implementing an abridged PRAPARE tool in a high-volume ED using an operational model designed to minimize burden on clinical staff.

From October 2021 to October 2023, trained student volunteers administered an 11-item abridged PRAPARE survey to adult ED patients during waiting-room time, parallel to routine clinical workflows. This retrospective quality improvement analysis evaluated deidentified data from these encounters. Items were selected via multidisciplinary consensus based on local resource alignment and analyzed descriptively.

Of 6,931 patients approached, 683 (9.8%) completed screening. Most identified as non-Hispanic Black (62%) and female (61%). Nearly all (94%) reported at least one unmet social need, and 56% reported three or more. The most common were food insecurity (47%), medication access (39%), and utility insecurity (37%). Substantial proportions also reported transportation barriers (28%), housing instability (27%), unemployment (26%), and feeling unsafe at home (15%). Black patients were overrepresented relative to the ED census (62% vs 40%). Among those with unmet needs, 96% expressed willingness to engage with assistance.

An abridged PRAPARE tool was successfully implemented using a low-burden, volunteer-driven model and identified a high prevalence of unmet social needs. These findings support streamlined screening delivered outside the clinical workflow and offer operational lessons on volunteer staffing, workflow integration, and referral infrastructure.

Clinical trials provide the “gold standard” evidence for advancing the practice of medicine, even as they evolve to integrate real-world data sources. Modern clinical trials are increasingly incorporating real-world data sources – data not intended for research and often collected in free-living contexts. We refer to trials that incorporate real-world data sources as real-world trials. Such trials may have the potential to enhance the generalizability of findings, facilitate pragmatic study designs, and evaluate real-world effectiveness. However, key differences in the design, conduct, and implementation of real-world vs traditional trials have ramifications in data management that can threaten their desired rigor.

Three examples of real-world trials that leverage different types of data sources – wearables, medical devices, and electronic health records are described. Key insights applicable to all three trials in their relationship to Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs) are derived.

Insight and recommendations are given on four topic areas: A. Charge of the DSMB; B. Composition of the DSMB; C. Pre-launch Activities; and D. Post-launch Activities. We recommend stronger and additional focus on data integrity.

Clinical trials can benefit from incorporating real-world data sources, potentially increasing the generalizability of findings and overall trial scale and efficiency. The data, however, present a level of informatic complexity that relies heavily on a robust data science infrastructure. The nature of monitoring the data and safety must evolve to adapt to new trial scenarios to protect the rigor of clinical trials.

West Virginia is a rural state with high rates of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and prediabetes. The Diabetes Prevention and Management (DPM) program was a health coach (HC)-led, 12-month community-based lifestyle intervention.

The study examined the impact of the DPM program on changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) and weight over twelve months among rural adults with diabetes and prediabetes. Program feasibility and acceptability were also explored.

An explanatory sequential quantitative and qualitative one-group study design was used to gain insight into the pre- and 12-month changes to health behavior and clinical outcomes. Trained HCs delivered the educational sessions and provided weekly health coaching feedback. Assessments included demographics, clinical, anthropometric, and qualitative focus groups. Participants included 94 obese adults with diabetes (63%) and prediabetes (37%). Twenty-two participated in three focus groups.

Average attendance was 13.7 ± 6.1 out of 22 sessions. Mean weight loss was 4.4 ± 11.5 lbs at twelve months and clinical improvement in A1C (0.4%) was noted among T2DM adults. Program retention (82%) was higher among older participants and those with poor glycemic control. While all participants connected to a trained HC, only 72% had regular weekly health coaching. Participants reported overall acceptability and satisfaction with the program and limited barriers to program engagement.

Our findings suggest that it is feasible to implement an HC-led DPM program in rural communities and improve A1C in T2DM adults. Trained HCs have the potential to be integrated with healthcare teams in rural regions of the United States.

Scientific endeavors are increasingly carried out by teams of scientists. While there is growing literature on factors associated with effective science teams, little is known about processes that facilitate the success of dissemination and implementation (D&I) teams studying the uptake of healthcare innovations. This study aimed to identify strategies used by D&I scientists to promote team science.

Using a nominal group technique, a sample of 27 D&I scholars responded to the question, “What strategies have you or others used to promote team science?” Participants were asked to individually respond and then discuss within a small group to determine the group’s top three strategies. Through a facilitated consensus discussion with the full sample, a rank-ordered list of three strategies was determined.

A total of 126 individual responses (M = 9; SD = 4.88) were submitted. Through small group discussion, six groups ranked their top three strategies to promote team science. The final ranked list of strategies determined by the full sample included: (1) developing and maintaining clear expectations, (2) promoting and modeling effective communication, and (3) establishing shared goals and a mission of the work to be accomplished.

Because of its goal of translating knowledge to practice, D&I research necessitates the use of team science. The top strategies are in line with those found to be effective for teams in other fields and hold promise for improving D&I team cohesion and innovation, which may ultimately accelerate the translation of health innovations and the improvement of care quality and outcomes.

Despite measurement advances in implementation science, few studies have assessed the psychometric properties of implementation outcome measures in low- and middle-income countries. Reliance on a limited set of tools may constrain understanding. We conducted a psychometric evaluation of brief measures of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility from the mental health implementation science tools (mhIST) with youth in two NIH-funded HIV prevention and care projects in Africa.

A consortium working group selected items to generate three shortened measures: a 7-item acceptability scale, a 5-item appropriateness scale, and an 8-item feasibility scale. Data drew from the IMARA-South Africa HIV/STI prevention program for adolescent girls (15–19 years) and their caregivers (n = 514) and CombinADO multicomponent intervention for youth living with HIV (10–24 years) in Mozambique (n = 385). We conducted factor analysis to explore dimensionality, test measurement invariance across two independent samples, and assess internal consistency reliability.

Results supported a one-factor model for acceptability imposing metric invariance across samples with reliability ranging from questionable to acceptable (α = 0.64, 0.77). Results also supported a one-factor model for appropriateness imposing metric invariance, though reliability varied (α = 0.73 vs. 0.53). Scalar invariance was not supported, suggesting differences in item interpretation across samples. No clear factor structure emerged for feasibility. Correlations among measures aligned with theoretical expectations.

The brief mhIST measures of acceptability and appropriateness show promise for use in resource-constrained settings, though the feasibility measure may require refinement. Findings contribute to advancing pragmatic measurement approaches in global implementation science.

Recruitment of study participants is challenging and can incur significant costs. Social media advertising is a promising method for recruiting clinical studies and may improve cost efficiency by targeting populations likely to match a study’s qualifications. Prior systematic reviews of social media as a recruitment tool have been favourable, however, there are no meta-analyses of its cost-effectiveness.

Studies evaluating recruitment costs through social media and non-social media methods were identified on MEDLINE and EMBASE. Articles were screened through a two-step process in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Cost data were extracted from selected articles and meta-analyzed using the Mantel-Haenszel method. The primary outcome was the relative cost-effectiveness of social media compared to non-social media recruitment, defined as the odds ratio of recruiting a participant per US dollar spent. The secondary outcome was the cost-effectiveness of social media recruitment compared to other online recruitment methods only.

In total, 23 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The odds ratio of recruiting a participant through social media advertising compared to non-social media methods per dollar spent was 1.97 [95% CI 1.24–3.00, P = 0.004]. The odds ratio of recruiting a participant through social media compared to other online methods only was 1.66 [95% CI 1.02–2.72, P = 0.04].

Social media advertising may be more cost-effective than other methods of recruitment, however, the magnitude of cost-effectiveness is highly variable between studies. There are limited data on newer social media platforms and on difficult-to-reach populations such as non-English speakers or older individuals.

To overcome the dearth of high-quality, evidence-based, role-specific training for community health workers and promotoras (CHW/Ps) working with research teams, we developed and evaluated a peer-led research best practices training for CHW/Ps. This article qualitatively explores the training experiences from the perspectives of CHW/Ps.

CHW/Ps were recruited from communities and partners affiliated with study sites in Michigan, Florida, and California to participate in peer facilitated trainings in English and Spanish. A purposeful sample of CHW/Ps completed interviews from July to December 2023 about their perceptions of the training. Three coders analyzed the interviews using a combination of the rigorous and accelerated data reduction (RADaR) technique and thematic text analysis.

Seventeen CHW/Ps participated in interviews (N = 10 in English; N = 7 in Spanish). The mean age was 43.7 ± 14.5 years, most were female (59%), and 47% identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish. We identified three primary themes, each with resulting subthemes: (1) CHW/Ps’ Perceptions of the Training, (2) Factors Influencing Receipt of the Training, and (3) CHW/Ps’ Recommendations for Future Trainings. Despite offering some opportunities for improvement in various areas, CHW/P learners found the training further clarified their role as CHW/Ps, enhanced their knowledge and skills, and provided a beneficial foundation for CHW/Ps working in community-engaged research.

A peer-led research best practices training for CHW/Ps is an effective strategy for enhancing CHW/Ps’ knowledge and skills. Training CHW/Ps in research best practices is a strategy for enhancing the capacity and capability of this community-engaged research workforce

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) has been a leader in cancer-related dissemination & implementation (D&I) science. Given increased demand for D&I research, the CPCRN Scholars Program launched in 2021 to expand the number of practitioners, researchers, and trainees proficient in cancer D&I science methods.

The evaluation was informed by a logic model and data collected through electronic surveys. Through an application process (baseline survey), we assessed scholars’ competencies in D&I science domains/subdomains, collected demographic data, and asked scholars to share proposed project ideas. We distributed an exit survey one month after program completion to assess scholars’ experience and engagement with the program and changes in D&I competencies. A follow-up survey was administered to alumni nine months post-program to measure their continued network engagement, accomplishments, and skills.

Three cohorts completed the program, consisting of 20, 17, and 25 scholars in Years 1-3, respectively. There was a significant increase in the total D&I competency scores for all three cohorts for 4 overarching domains and 43 subdomains (MPre = 1.38 MPost = 1.89). Differences were greatest for the domain of Practice-Based Considerations (0.50 mean difference) and Theory & Analysis (0.47 mean difference). Alumni surveys revealed that scholars appreciated access to D&I-focused webinars, toolkits, and training resources. 80% remain engaged with CPCRN workgroups and investigators.

Program evaluation with scholars and alumni helped with ongoing quality assurance, introspection, and iterative program adaptation to meet scholars’ needs. This approach is recommended for large-scale capacity-building training programs.

The Clinical Breast Care Project (CBCP) conducts coordinated clinical care and research across military and civilian medical centers, requiring secure and integrated management of participant records and biospecimens. To support enrollment, biospecimen processing, and translational research in this specialized environment, the Data Tracking System for the Clinical Breast Care Project (DTS-CBCP) was developed.

DTS-CBCP collects participant, clinical, consent, pathology, and biospecimen metadata through a web-based platform. It uses a patient-centric model to connect clinical events with biospecimen data. Development utilized a tiered web-application architecture and an Oracle database environment that meet Department of War (DOW) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act standards. Audit trails, encryption, and role-based access ensure secure multi-site participation. DTS-CBCP also integrates with the Data Warehouse for Translational Research (DW4TR), Freezerworks, and digital pathology tools.

DTS-CBCP has supported participant enrollment (n = 11,452) and biospecimen tracking (n = 104,671 specimens, including 18,974 frozen tissue and 9866 Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded samples). Additionally, 219,280 blood aliquots and 19,937 slides have been tracked across three military and civilian sites. The system enables consent tracking, clinical annotation, specimen chain-of-custody, remote digital pathology, and automated reporting. DTS-CBCP has supported breast cancer research initiatives such as The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Applied Proteogenomic Organizational Learning and Outcomes projects.

DTS-CBCP addresses coordination of clinical and biospecimen data across military and civilian institutions. In addition to supporting breast cancer research, it creates an informatics framework for expanded translational research networks and future DOW-aligned programs.

Here we present a novel approach to evaluate peripheral blood mononuclear cell vascular adhesion using a microfluidic model designed to approximate the complexity of a human arteriole. While EC monolayer assays are commonly used to investigate leukocyte-EC interactions, we hypothesized that our single channel arteriole (SCA) on a chip would recapitulate the microvasculature more accurately and provide additional insight into the initial stages of atherogenesis.

This model is comprised of stromal cells embedded in a hydrogel surrounding a channel lined by endothelial cells (EC) that has an inner diameter approximating a small arteriole. Under physiologic shear conditions, the EC take on a phenotype distinct from monolayer cultures, including alignment with the direction of flow.

Significant differences were found between the SCA and monolayer cultures in the expression of key EC and stromal cell markers, including ICAM-1, VCAM-1, PDGFB, aSMA, and KLF2. Indeed, flow-induced PDGFB expression likely mediated the recruitment and differentiation of αSMA-positive cells to the vessel wall. Importantly, the vessels were responsive to stimulation by inflammatory mediators, showing both increased leukocyte adhesion and increased permeability. Finally, mechanically mediated protrusion of the vessel wall into the lumen disrupted flow, producing increased shear over the vessel wall.

In summary, our studies demonstrate the utility of the SCA model for studies of small vessel physiology under both normal and disrupted flow and to lay the groundwork for further development into a model for atherosclerosis. Additionally, our data emphasize the advantages of complex 3D assays over more traditional 2D cultures.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Clinical and Translational Award (CTSA) programs are developing relevant training for researchers and community stakeholders participating in community-engaged research (CEnR). However, there is limited research exploring the ways community stakeholders and partners with key CEnR experiences can inform and shape training priorities for prospective CEnR scholars to build meaningful and equitable partnerships.

This study conducted and analyzed online individual semi-structured in-depth interviews with community stakeholders (n = 13) engaged in CEnR to identify training priorities for graduate students and emerging scholars.

Thematic analysis of 13 interview transcripts revealed four major training priorities for prospective scholars interested in engaging in CEnR: 1) researcher’s positionality, 2) equitable power sharing, 3) funding, and 4) ethics.

Building equitable research partnerships was a central theme woven across all four training priorities. Further research should focus on examining the development, implementation, and evaluation of CEnR training in partnership with community stakeholders and partners with relevant CEnR experience. Adopting a collaborative approach to incorporate both community stakeholders and researchers’ priorities can align training competencies to better prepare scholars to engage in building research partnerships.