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
What leaving World Health Organization would mean for US.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization, finishing what he started during his first term when his administration formally began exiting the WHO amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In his order, the...
Fears of devastation across NJ health, scientific research if Trump cuts proceed.
Federally funded research largely continues in New Jersey, despite threats from the Trump administration to slash financial support for this work in ways critics say would be disastrous for science, public health and the state economy. But academic leaders,...
Rutgers Health scores $686K grant to study effects of medicinal cannabis use.
As medicinal cannabis becomes more widely used, Rutgers Health is examining the potential physical and mental health effects on patients. After receiving a $686,376 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, researchers recently kicked off a five-year study on...
Bird Flu Basics From a Rutgers Health Infectious Disease Expert.
The H5N1 Avian influenza is decimating bird populations around the world. More than 136 million birds have been affected in the US since the disease arrived in 2022. More than 5 million egg-laying chickens died in the first 16 days of 2025. It also shows signs of...
NJACTS Community Engagement Core COVID-19 Resources
The situation around the current spread of COVID-19 is changing rapidly. We have compiled resource links for the general community highlighting local resources across New Jersey, ways to get involved, and mental and physical wellness. Visit our COVID-19 page for...
Adverse Childhood Experiences Influence Potentially Dangerous Firearm-Related Behavior in Adulthood.
Researchers at Rutgers University have found that adverse childhood experiences can make people more sensitive to potential threats from others, which in turn increases their risk of engaging in defensive gun use in adulthood. Their study, published in the Journal of...