About Us

Since 1997 the Recruitment and Retention Shared Facility (RRSF) has offered recruitment of participants for any study, including help with developing recruitment and retention plans; identifying participants and targeting them with culturally relevant messages; consenting, enrolling, and scheduling participants; providing databases in requested format; generating standard or customized reports; access to data analysts, statisticians, and epidemiologists with expertise in health disparities; and retention services for follow-up data collection.

We provide an experienced team that has enrolled more than 50,000 participants for more than 117 studies since 1997. Our Team includes project planners and coordinators, telephone interviewers, data managers and analysts, community outreach personnel, and patient navigators. We have experience with population-based studies, therapeutic clinical trials, behavioral intervention trials, telephone surveys, focus groups, and in-person qualitative interview as well as a proven record of recruiting African Americans and women. 

Linking Researchers with Communities:

Successful Recruitment Is the First Step in a Successful Clinical Trial

In clinical trials, a precisely selected research population is as crucial a resource as any high-tech research equipment. The Recruitment and Retention Shared Facility (RRSF) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) can be your link to that population.

Expert Team of Recruiters

RRSF gives you access to an experienced team of recruiters who have recruited over 50,000 participants in over 117 studies. The team includes managers, data managers and analysts, project planners and coordinators, telephone interviewers, and community outreach personnel.

Comprehensive Service

RRSF offers comprehensive recruitment and retention services:

• Help with developing recruitment and retention plans for research proposals or funded projects

• Identifying potential participants and reaching them with targeted mass mailings and population-specific recruiting material

• Conducting community outreach activities, on-site clinic recruitment, workshops on recruitment and retention, and focus groups

The Community Connection

The strong community outreach and educational services of RRSF help overcome barriers to participation in underrepresented populations. By using innovative recruitment techniques and culturally appropriate recruitment materials, we are able to successfully engage participants from minority communities. More than 20 years work building trust within the community provides access to grassroots organizations, service groups, health-care professionals, and local businesses. That means efficiency and cost-effectiveness in meeting your recruiting goals.

The Technological Edge

The cornerstone of our effective recruiting capabilities is a database of more than 4 million Alabama and Georgia residents that can be screened by geographic area, age, race, gender, and health condition and cross-referenced with participants in ongoing studies. A specially designed data system allows RRSF staff to conduct interviews and track every contact with participants.

One-stop Shop for Recruitment of Participants for Any Study

• Identify potential participants and target them with culturally relevant messages

• Consent, enroll, and schedule participants in studies

• Provide databases in requested format

• Generate standard reports for the IRB or customized reports to suit investigator needs

• Access to data analysts, statisticians, and epidemiologists with expertise in health disparities

• Retention services for follow-up data collection