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January was chosen as the month to celebrate blood donors because winter is traditionally a time when blood donations decline due to weather conditions, holiday travel, and seasonal illnesses.
Learn What to Expect When Donating Blood
| | News Across the NJ ACTS Consortium | | Community Engagement Salon Successes | |
Zhaomeng Niu, Ph.D.
This month, we’re highlighting Dr. Zhaomeng Niu and her project, Developing and Testing a Mobile Health Intervention to Promote Sun Protection Behaviors and Skin Examination Among Hispanics
In the fall of 2022, Dr. Niu contacted our team to coordinate an NJACTS Community Engagement Virtual Salon (CEVS), which brings community stakeholders together to provide early feedback on research projects before implementation. The CEVS provided her with much-needed insight into community engagement practices for the development and testing of a mobile health intervention to promote sun protection behaviors and skin cancer screenings among Latinx individuals.
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Dr. Niu asked 7 questions to the community:
- Generally, do you have any feedback and suggestions?
- Which term is preferred: Latinx, Hispanic, another term?
- Which language is preferred? English or Spanish or both? Does it differ by generation?
- Suggestions for a name for this WhatsApp intervention (e.g., Spanish words of phrases)?
- What would make people engage in the program repeatedly and over time?
- Is WhatsApp a good delivery method?
- What kind of educational messages/materials would people prefer to see on WhatsApp?
This feedback helped formulate the design of Salud Solar, a pilot program that used culturally tailored WhatsApp messages to encourage daily sun safety practices and regular self-skin examinations, ultimately strengthening both participant engagement and the overall impact of the research.
This spring, the study will enter its final phase, enrolling additional Hispanic volunteers into two groups: one receiving nutrition and healthy-lifestyle messages and the other receiving sun-safety messages via WhatsApp. Recruitment is currently open, and more information can be found here.
🔗 Watch Dr. Niu's Community Engagement Virtual Salon here.
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NJACTS Community Scientist Program
Are you a community member interested in getting involved and learning how human subject research can be conducted effectively and safely in your communities?
The NJ ACTS Community Scientist Program is a training and education initiative designed to foster partnerships between community members and investigators, enhancing community involvement in research. Participants who complete the program will receive a Certificate of Completion and a Community Scientist Digital Badge, which can be displayed on LinkedIn.
| | | Community Scientists Showcase | | RWJBarnabas Health Community Health Workers and leadership commemorate the program’s 100,000th patient interaction, November 2025. Photo courtesy of RWJBarnabas Health. | |
RWJBarnabas Health is committed to advancing health equity and improving access to care across New Jersey through its Community Health Worker (CHW) Program. The program embeds trained, trusted CHWs within hospital and community settings to serve as liaisons between patients and the healthcare system, addressing social, economic, and language barriers that impact health outcomes.
Brandon Olivares, 23, of North Plainfield, N.J., a Community Health Worker at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, shared, “I take great pride in serving my community. Many of my patients face both socioeconomic and language barriers. As a bilingual Spanish-speaking CHW, I connect my patients to the resources they need and guide them through the process of completing applications, securing appointments, and accessing services.” Since joining the program in May 2025, Brandon has supported nearly 350 patients through personalized navigation and advocacy.
Impact: The RWJBarnabas Health Community Health Worker Program has reached over 100,000 patients statewide and has expanded to every RWJBarnabas Health hospital, strengthening access to health and social services for communities across New Jersey.
| | | Clinical Research Coordinator Level-1 Badge | |
Interested in an Entry-level Position as a Study Coordinator?
This 6-week online and asynchronous academic badge is designed for Clinical Research Professionals, novice Investigators, and students with little to no clinical research or pharmaceutical experience who would like to participate in clinical research at an Academic Medical Center (AMC) functioning as a “study coordinator.”
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A flexible, self-paced, online program covering the following training areas:
- Scientific Concepts and Research Design
- Ethical & Participant Safety Considerations
- Investigational Products Development & Regulation
- Clinical Study Operations and Site Management
- Data Management & Informatics
| |  | | | Click here for more information about the Clinical Research Coordinator Level-1 Badge. | | |
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Local Data for Equitable Communities - Call for Proposals
Deadline: March 03, 2026
3:00 p.m.
More Information
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CHEST Equitable Community Health Impact Grant
Anticipated deadline: April 14th, 2026
More information
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Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Safe Kids Worldwide--a global pediatric injury prevention program--have partnered to lead the Safe Kids Middlesex County (SKMC) local coalition.
SKMC provides useful community safety resources, including playground tips, a car seat inspection station finder, and helmet safety.
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Elijah’s Promise and the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) HIPHOP Promise Clinic partner to provide free primary care to uninsured adults in New Brunswick. The Promise Clinic operates as a student-run clinic offering patient-centered care to individuals who may otherwise lack access to health services.
Supervised by volunteer physicians, RWJMS medical students provide continuity of care that includes health screenings, basic medical services, medications, lab work, and patient education.
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Featuring Virtual Salons, Webinars, Event Recordings, and more!
Check out the NJ ACTS Community Engagement YouTube channel
@njactscommunityengagement4498
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Are you frustrated in your research right now?
Do you want community feedback to inform your grant writing?
Are you interested in working with a multidisciplinary research setting?
Contact NJACTS Community and let's make a plan!
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Want to be featured in our newsletter? Email us at
njactscommunity@rwjms.rutgers.edu
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New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science
https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/community/
This newsletter is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number, UM1TR004789 to Rutgers University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the NIH.
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Copyright 2026 New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science, all rights reserved.
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