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Recruitment and Retention Shared Facility (RRSF)
(Participant Access to Research )

The Recruitment and Retention Shared Facility (RRSF) is designed to facilitate and assist investigators in recruiting subjects to participate in clinical research and to provide linkage between the community and UAB researchers. The resources available through this facility include:

•   a recruitment database,
•   a mass mailing system,
•   a recruitment tracking system,
•   a health history system,
•   experienced recruitment/support staff,
•   a Community Outreach /Recruitment Manager,
•   Recruitment Coordinators,
•   Retention Specialist,
•   Focus Group Moderators,
•   telephone interviewers,
•   data manager/data entry personnel,
•   a volunteer corps,
•   and trained lay health advisors from target communities.

The RRSF provides UAB researchers with:

•   diverse recruitment services, with an emphasis on women and minorities;
• provides and maintains the necessary linkage between UAB researchers and the surrounding     communities;
•  disseminates culturally appropriate information regarding techniques for recruitment and retention of     minority subjects suitable for UAB investigators;
•  and establishes and maintains an information system with a Recruitment Data Base (RDB) comprised of     a Mass Mailing System, a Recruitment Tracking System, and a Health Profile System to identify subjects     with certain health profiles of interest to UAB investigators.

The RDB includes more than 4 million names of residents in Alabama and Georgia and can target potential mass mailing to subjects by geographic area, age, gender, and race. The RRSF has established and trained networks of Community Health Advisors (CHAs) who are available to disseminate research information and recruit participants from minority communities. The RRSF also provides a number of recruitment services to UAB investigators. These services include:

•   developing population-specific recruitment materials (brochures, news ads, TV & radio spots);
•   conducting targeted mass mailings;
•   conducting community outreach activities, including scheduling large community support meetings;
•   screening and interviewing patients for eligibility criteria and long-term retention;
•   scheduling subjects for enrollment visits;
•   consulting with investigators about recruitment and retention issues;
•   developing recruitment and retention plans for research proposals or for funded projects;
•   and conducting workshops on recruitment and retention issues, especially for minority populations

For more information and services: