Culturally Centered Addictions Research Training (C-CART)
Overview
In the summer of 2021, Northern Arizona University’s Center for Health Equity Research (CHER), in partnership with the College of Education, received a grant to create a graduate training program for practicing clinicians and doctoral students in health professions.
The program, called Culturally Centered Addictions Research Training or C-CART, addresses substance use disorders, specifically in underserved American Indian, Hispanic, and rural populations.
The overall goal of this research and training program, C-CART, is to educate clinicians, providers, and doctoral students in health professions in research skills that include culturally centered practices, related to substance use and substance use disorders (SU/SUDs) which can be applied in interprofessional practice and diverse settings.
C-CART specifically focuses on the rural and underserved populations in Arizona and the southwestern United States. Funded through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the program fills a critical need for culturally relevant training in health professions, and complements NAU’s doctoral programs in health care and behavioral health fields.
Aims
Aim 1
Develop and implement an interprofessional advanced graduate certificate in culturally-centered Substance Use/Substance Use Disorder (SU/SUD) research for doctoral students and doctoral-trained, practicing clinicians in the community.
Aim 2
Foster interprofessional and collaborative teamwork among the Scholars in partnership with NAU mentors and community partners as they develop culturally-centered research projects focused on addressing and curtailing SU/SUDs among American Indian, Hispanic, and rural populations being served in health, behavioral health, and telehealth care settings.
Aim 3
Evaluate the effectiveness of the training program through formative and summative evaluation of learning outcomes, longitudinally tracking of Scholar careers, and document collaborative research efforts and products developed by students, faculty, and mentors.
Aim 4
Disseminate research products through Scholar research presentations at an interprofessional conference, submit of peer-reviewed manuscripts related to program outcomes, complete capstone research experiences that emerge from the program, and a website highlighting program achievements.
Areas of interest
In the media
- NAU student strives to bring counseling services back home to Navajo Nation (AZCentral, Feb. 8, 2023)
- Student spotlight: Jeffersson Brasil Pires Dos Santos (CHER news, Sept. 6, 2022)
- NAU student named Rising Graduate Scholar (Arizona Daily Sun, Abigail Kessler, May 1, 2022)
- C-CART scholars, faculty and community partners meet for first conference (CHER news, April 6, 2022)
- Fitting it in three minutes: NAU grad students participate in 3MRP (NAU Review, April 4, 2022)
- The only one in the room no longer (NAU Review, March 22, 2022)
- C-CART successfully combines online, in-person orientation (CHER news, Sept. 15, 2021)
- CHER receives almost $1.4M grant to develop culturally centered graduate certificate for health professionals focusing on substance use disorders in underserved communities (CHER news, April 21, 2021)