Research Recruiters

A team of people from The Miriam Hospital Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center set up a stand at the Woonsocket Farmers Market to recruit participants for their studies and increase awareness about various health issues. They also go to other Farm Fresh farmers markets to promote their research. Rivka (right) is sitting with fellow researchers Emma, Olivia, and Jill (left to right). Rivka is the hospital’s community outreach specialist. 

[We] offer, completely free of charge and funded by the National Institutes of Health, research studies where Rhode Islanders, and sometimes nationally recruited individuals, can sign up for a program that they're eligible for and interested in. In return, they receive free healthcare for whatever the research aims are. For instance, if they're in a cardiovascular study, they may receive caseworker assistance with diabetes management, exercise, and free nutrition education. If they’re in a more traditional weight loss study, then they may receive lessons with a nutritionist or exercise physiologist.

We go out to these markets just to spread the word on our resources and our research studies. I think the main thing that has changed recently is weight research and cardiovascular research is very historically white, and very presently white because research works at such a slow pace that things are only updated every five years if you're lucky. A lot of the work that we're doing right now is having more diverse and accurate samples, hence why we're here today.

It's just nice to build those community relations and have people recognize us, and you know the more you’re somewhere, the more people feel comfortable coming back. We get some people in the door; it's hard because we don't have time to go through all the eligibility criteria when someone walks up to us. We might have people who reach out and then aren't eligible, but I think we've gotten at least some people. I have so many good interactions, so many people who are just really open and excited to talk to me about their own personal experiences with health, the good and the bad. I get to learn a lot about their lives. 

I have had some [bad] solo interactions. They're only once in a while, but like, I am a trans non-binary person, and I don't pass very well. Occasionally people will hear my name, and it's a chosen name, and they'll ask about it. Or they will make comments on my appearance. A couple of them have gone on Trump rants since I started, which obviously doesn't make me feel super safe, especially because I moved here to Rhode Island from the South kind of to get away from that. You have to accept that you're going to meet people from all different viewpoints. I don't divulge a lot about myself personally in order to keep myself safe.

But I am always happy to talk to people about the services that we offer and gush about what our researchers do, so those [bad] interactions are few and far between.