180+ networks across 21 NJ counties
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CORE OVERVIEW
NJACTS draws leading academic, industry and community groups together to understand and address the health needs of New Jersey. Central to this is engagement with our community to ensure that our efforts respond to their priorities. Our goal is to conduct research with the New Jersey community, in the community and for the community, and yet, have impact beyond our state’s boundaries.
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Empowering Community-Based Research
Through Cultural and Linguistic Collaboration
- Navigating interpreter-mediated encounters
- Effective translation for research
- Understanding cultural nuances in literacy, trust, and belonging
Through collaboration across disciplines and leveraging expertise within and beyond Rutgers, CrEER ensures that research is inclusive, culturally relevant, and impactful both locally and globally.
👉 Discover how CrEER is shaping the future of community-based research here.
Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ATCS) Membership for Community Members
Did you know that community members are eligible to become members of ACTS through their affiliation with NJ ACTS?
Community members are able to access ACTS’ member benefits, including:
- Discounted registration to the annual Translational Science meeting
- Opportunities to participate in Special Interest Groups and Committees
- Access to the community platform website and more!
Resource for Investigators – CTSA Compendium of D&I Catalogs
Dissemination and implementation (D&I) research focuses on translating evidence-based interventions into real-world settings to improve health outcomes in the broader community.
An open-source CTSA Compendium of D&I Catalogs has been developed by the Clinical & Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program’s “Advancing Dissemination and Implementation Sciences in CTSAs” working group to support investigators at any stage of their D&I skill-building journey. It provides a curated list of resource catalogs relevant to the conduct of D&I science. The materials include frameworks/theories/models, methods/measures, funding resources, practice resources, training, and health equity resources. Click here to learn more.
CIRTification – A New Alternative to CITI for Community Partners
The rollout of CIRTification at Rutgers has begun. The CIRTification program provides research ethics training alternative for individuals in community organizations, with limited understanding of conducting human research and protecting potential research participants. This option provides training that focuses on establishing the skills in community partners to conduct human subject research effectively and safely in their communities.
To learn more about the program at Rutgers, please visit this link CIRTification.
NJ ACTS COMMUNITY SCIENTIST PROGRAM
This program is designed to provide researchers with rapid feedback from expert community members to ensure their research projects are culturally appropriate and relevant to the community.
PARTICIPATE IN OUR NEXT COHORT!
For more information, please contact njactscommunity@rwjms.rutgers.edu
NJ HEROES TOO
Through the ongoing New Jersey Healthcare Essential Worker Outreach and Education Study – Testing Overlooked Occupations (NJ HEROES TOO), we have gained a wealth of data on COVID-19’s effects, gleaned valuable learnings on attitudes toward testing and vaccines, and improved COVID-19 awareness in underserved communities.

Community Blog

Biologist Pabitra Sahoo and His Research Team Unlock Clues to Repairing Damaged Nerves.
Each year, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), millions of people in the U.S. are affected by spinal cord and traumatic brain Injuries, along with neuro-developmental and -degenerative diseases such as ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's...

For Cancer Patients, Oncologists Often Have the Final Word.
For terminally ill cancer patients, the final days of life are immensely personal, having the choice to continue cancer treatments, or to stop treatments and prioritize a more comfortable passing. What a patient wants, however, isn’t always what they receive,...

Rutgers Startup Seeks to Tap the Power of AI to Become the First Commercial “Self-Driving Lab”.
A startup company formed based on technology developed at Rutgers seeks to use artificial intelligence and automation to help researchers advance their work faster and make breakthrough discoveries. “Currently in labs, a scientist follows the conventional scientific...
The 10 Popular Health Trends You Shouldn’t Try in 2025.
What’s considered healthy (or not!) changes every few years when it comes to diet and wellness. Some trends, such as choosing non-alcoholic drinks or boosting your protein intake (mentioned here, in our biggest diet and nutrition trends for 2025), are good for you....

Tech Can Help People Living with Dementia to Help Themselves, NJIT Expert Says.
People with mild dementia might live more independently if assistive technology could evolve in parallel with their progressing conditions, according to new research from Alisha Pradhan, assistant professor of informatics at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Pradhan...
Heart disease is killing Black women; 5 tips for preventing it.
Heart disease is largely preventable, experts say. Still, it’s the number one killer of Black women who sometimes lack access to health care and whose symptoms are often ignored. “The stark reality is more women die from heart disease than any other cause,” said Dr....