Completion of a standardizable competency-based research training program improves understanding and preparedness for both new and experienced clinical research professionals

Clinical research professionals (CRPs) are integral to the academic medical center workforce, research operations, and daily clinical research tasks; however, due to inconsistent training, there is a shortage of qualified CRPs. The Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency created a competency framework for CRPs, which has demonstrated positive results from various institutions, but training programs have been limited in standardization, replicability, and dissemination. To improve this, we designed the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center Clinical Research Foundations (CRF) training program, which is a competency-based online self-paced CRP training curriculum hosted via the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) portal. We examined feasibility, acceptability, and uptake of the UTSW CRF training on an institutional scale and were pleased to find this curriculum is not only feasible but has high levels of acceptability. Furthermore, faculty, clinicians, and trainees voluntarily completed this training program indicating utility across diverse groups. The UTSW CRF combines the existing CITI training modules with UTSW-created material, providing an optimal balance between generalized clinical research education and institutionally tailored content. We believe the UTSW CRF curriculum could serve as a plug-and-play foundational model for other research centers to tailor according to their audience and institutional needs.