Objectives/Goals: Communicating science to varied audiences is an essential component of conducting research. This study evaluated how science communication training impacted participants’ knowledge, confidence, and skills; examined sustained application of achieved skills; and assessed overall satisfaction of the training. Methods/Study Population: The Montefiore-Einstein CTSA hub partnered with the Alda Center for Communicating Science to offer their Foundational Series. The series aims to build effective science communication skills to 40 research faculty, staff, and trainees via three weekly 3-hour virtual workshops: The Essentials, Small Group Coaching, and Science Through Narrative. Retrospective pre-post surveys were administered after each workshop to measure changes in self-reported knowledge, confidence, and skills related to each learning objective using a 7-point Likert scale. Pre- and post-program score differences were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Participants also rated pacing and likelihood to recommend each workshop to their peers. A 3-month follow-up survey assessed sustained application of skills. Results/Anticipated Results: Pre-workshop knowledge, skills, and confidence related to all learning objectives for each workshop were generally moderate (median Likert score of 4). Participants showed significant improvement across all areas, with median scores increasing by 1-2 points on a 7-point Likert scale immediately post-session ( P < 0.0001). All workshops were well received, with most participants indicating they would recommend them to peers and found the length appropriate. The 3-month follow-up survey showed sustained skill uptake, with participants reporting sometimes, often, or always applying skills from the various learning objectives within each workshop: Essentials (89%–94%), Small Group Coaching (77%–94%), and Science Through Narrative (80%–90%). Discussion/Significance of Impact: Effective science communication helps researchers build trust, meet community needs, and promote collaboration in translational research. We found that a short training course in science communication improves skills, confidence, and knowledge, with sustained skill retention observed after three months.
McGinn et al. (Wed,) studied this question.