Two alumni of the Community Research Fellows Training (CRFT) program have recently started working on a project called ENGAGE with researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Illinois-Chicago, and the University of Pittsburgh. ENGAGE is a pilot project that will focus on community-based methods of promoting self-management and community participation among adults with low income who have mild to moderate stroke-related disability. CRFT cohort II alumni and Patient Research Advisory Board (PRAB) members Sular Gordon and Carlette Lewis Rhone will serve as peer mentors alongside Dr. Carolyn Baum, professor of Occupational Therapy at WashU, and Michelle Klein, a WashU OT professional with expertise in stroke rehabilitation.
Gordon (left) and Lewis Rhone (right) attend training in Chicago to become peer mentors
Gordon and Lewis Rhone will train 
people who have had strokes how to manage their daily routines and activities, and access resources that can help them stay engaged in their family and community lives. They will be working with communities in low income areas in the St. Louis region, and have prepared by attending workshops and training in Chicago (see photos). The program is set to begin in St. Louis, Chicago, and Pittsburgh by early fall 2019.
The ENGAGE project is a collaboration between Washington University (Dr. Carolyn Baum), the University of Illinois – Chicago (Dr. Joy Hammel), and the University of Pittsburgh (Dr. Beth Skidmore). The ENGAGE project is partnering with Dr. Vetta Thompson (WUSM) and the Washington University CRFT program and PRAB.