Our PROPEL training program aims to diversify and strengthen our research workforce by addressing these barriers:
(1) untrained study coordinators not ready to contribute to research projects upon hiring
(2) clinician/scientists who aspire to conduct research but lack the experience, opportunities, and time to do so.
Our courses will be available and accessible to any personnel who desire and would benefit from these trainings, though we target early career, women and under-represented groups across all fields of research, including entrepreneurship, and facilitate collaborations with BNL, CSHL and NVAMC.
PROPEL emphasizes the development of practical and marketable research skills by providing essential laboratory knowledge needed to work and thrive as a study coordinator or clinician-researcher. Our program starts with a core training program for each learner, followed by one of two separate tracks specialized for either study coordinators or clinician-researchers. All tracks are available on-demand through our virtual learning platform. Learners will have access to SBU's Clinical Simulation Center, which provides simulation training using trained actors who portray standardized patients, and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. The Alda Center’s mission is to advance science and medicine by training investigators in the art and practice of clear and vivid communication.
Core Training Program - Foundation of conducting patient-oriented translational research (12 hours)
COURSE NAME | DESCRIPTION |
| Good Clinical Practice | Protection of human subjects; importance of accuracy in data collection and management, GCP Training for Sponsored Studies (1 hour). |
| Research Design | Overview of study types: case-control, cohort, retrospective, and randomized trials; strengths and weaknesses of each study type; differences between research and quality improvement (2 hours). |
| Demystifying the IRB | Overview of Human Subject Research, developing/submitting research protocols and consents, and amendments (minor vs. major); deviations, exceptions, and continuing reviews; full vs. expedited review; risk levels (4 hours). |
| Research Administration I | REDCap; best practices for data entry, security, and archiving; exporting and aggregating research data; citation software, such as Endnote, for use in IRB protocols and manuscripts (2 hours). |
| Team Science | Collaborative science models (Cancer Consortia); composition of a translational research team; benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary work; shared resource facilities and major equipment; trials (1 hour). |
| Literacy in Brain Imaging and Analysis | Overview of methods, data types, radiopharmaceuticals, clinical / translational research questions, digital pathology, and high content image analyses; resources for further reading (2 hours). |
| Literacy in Biomedical Informatics | Overview of clinical & imaging informatics, data science, population healthcare informatics (2 hours). |
(Branched) Coordinator Training Program
| COURSE NAME | DESCRIPTION |
| Research Safety | Use of PPE; Handling and logging biological samples; Waste disposal (1 hour). |
| Professionalism and Patient Communication | Establishing rapport; maintaining patient commitment to research; diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations; managing and reporting of problems and incidents (1 hour). |
| Regulatory Implementation | Regulatory binders; subject narratives and payments; creating, maintaining, and closing patient charts; FDA forms; shipping and receiving; budget reconciliation (5 hours over 2 days). |
| Research Administration II | Advanced REDCap usage, features, and programming; TriNetX; OnCore (2 hours). |
| Coordinator Topics in Brain Imaging and Biomedical Informatics | Safety training overview; data security; maintaining confidentiality; explaining procedures to patients; overview of coding and data cross-referencing (3 hours). |
| Experiential Learning: Lab Internship | Immersive laboratory experience with matched PI; Clinical Simulation Center topics (3 months). |
(Branched) Faculty Clinician Training Program
| COURSE NAME | DESCRIPTION | |
| Introductory Biostatistics | Descriptives; t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation/regression using (user-friendly) SPSS (3 hours). | |
| Study Design | Application of biostatistics; review of research design; translation to current projects (2 hours). | |
| The Electronic Health Record in Research | Permissions and firewalls; database search/retrieval; privacy and confidentiality; coding (1 hour). | |
| Science Communication | Articles, presentations, and abstracts; clear and concise writing style; authorship guidelines; manuscript drafting and revision; effective slide presentations (3 hours). | |
| Clinician Topics in Brain Imaging and Biomedical Informatics | Types of research questions; quality control and example processing pipelines; overview of running queries; understanding data readouts (2 hours) | |
| Dissemination & Implementation Science | Planning and conducting high quality D&I research; information on best practices to bring new treatments, drugs, or devices into clinical practice; relevant problems and case studies (3 hours). | |
| Experiential Component: Research Mentor | Match based on shared interests/approaches; help with project conceptualization and implementation; discussions of funding (no formal time limit, to support continued collaboration). | |