# Pilot implementation of a co-mentoring circles program for the clinical research professionals: Evidence for formative evaluation and logic model

## TL;DR

This paper describes a new training program for clinical research professionals and evaluates its impact on workforce development and research translation.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a co-mentoring program and proposes a logic model for CRP workforce development.

## Key findings

- The co-mentoring program supported knowledge acquisition and professional relationship building.
- The proposed logic model outlines inputs, activities, and impacts of CRP workforce development.
- The program showed potential to increase national capacity for translational research.

## Abstract

Clinical research professionals (CRPs) are essential contributors to clinical and translational research endeavors, encompassing roles such as research nurses, research coordinators, data managers, and regulatory affairs specialists. This paper reports on the implementation of a novel training program for the CRPs, the Co-mentoring Circles Program, developed by the University of Florida Health Clinical Research Professionals Consortium, and proposes an initial logic model of CRP workforce development informed by the observations, participant feedback, and the established Translational Workforce Logic Model. The co-mentoring program was delivered through an online didactic curriculum and bi-monthly meetings over nine months, from January to September 2022. The formative evaluation identified the factors that support CRP workforce development through knowledge acquisition and professional relationship building. Finally, this paper proposes a logic model of CRP workforce development, including financial and human inputs, didactic and co-mentoring activities, workforce outputs, outputs related to workforce and clinical research study progress, and resulting impacts of increased national capacity for translational research and increased rate of research translation.