Behavioral & Health Sciences Programs
KU Extended Learning has trained working professionals in behavioral and health sciences since 1891. Today, we partner with renowned faculty, field researchers, and organizations to help thousands of professionals advance their careers. Explore new research applications, network with colleagues, earn licensure credits, and more.
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) Training
The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) training course is a 100% online, self-paced program that meets the BACB’s 40-hour training requirement. Taught by a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst in KU’s Department of Applied Behavioral Science, it covers ethics, behavior assessment, skill acquisition, and behavior reduction. Preparing students for the RBT Competency Assessment and certification exam.
Courses
Where: Online
Description: The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) training course is a 100% online, self-paced program that provides the 40 hours of training required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) for RBT certification. Developed and taught by a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst in the KU Department of Applied Behavioral Science, the course covers core topics in applied behavior analysis, including ethics, behavior assessment, skill acquisition, and behavior reduction techniques. Upon completion, students are prepared to take the RBT Competency Assessment and certification exam, gaining foundational skills for careers in behavioral health and education.
Community Health Worker Network (CHW-Network)
KU Medical Center’s Community Health Worker Network courses give CHWs and organizations the practical skills, including supervision, to build and sustain strong CHW programs. Training covers behavioral health, chronic disease management, maternal and child health, and emergency response, with an emphasis on social determinants of health and health equity. As demand for CHWs grows, these courses help prepare a workforce that can improve health outcomes.
Courses
Where: Online
Description: Community Health Workers support individuals, families, and communities by addressing social determinants of health, providing access to resources, and building community capacity. CHWs work across clinical and community settings to provide education, service coordination, advocacy, and outreach, helping people navigate systems while promoting equity, prevention, and overall well-being.
This virtual training will help you build skills, deepen knowledge, and succeed in the CHW profession. Participants in this training will develop essential competencies in communication, advocacy, coordination of care, and cultural responsiveness.
This training fulfills the 100 hours of classroom instruction required for the Kansas State CHW certification and provides up to 30 of the 60 required service-learning hours.
Where: Online
Description: Community Health Workers collaborate with local organizations and community partners to support individuals and families while addressing social and health-related barriers. This training provides foundational knowledge about community health work, with a focus on mental health, substance use, and public health-areas of critical need in communities with limited access to care.
This 48-hour virtual training provides you with skills associated with behavioral health, substance use disorder, and community health work. (This training does not qualify you for Kansas State CHW certification.)
Where: Online
Description: The Quick Start CHW Training Program equips learners with the core knowledge and skills needed to enter the field and serve their communities effectively confidently. This comprehensive, fast-track training covers a wide range of core competencies, blending foundational knowledge with practical application to ensure participants are job-ready. This accelerated training combines interactive lectures, case studies, role-playing exercises, and real-world scenarios to prepare participants for the complexities of the CHW role.
Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO)
KU Medical Center’s Department of Biostatistics & Data Science ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) courses connect healthcare providers with experts through collaborative, case-based learning, helping practitioners build skills and strengthen care, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Courses
Where: Online
Description:
KUMC INSPCTN Clinical Trials Training is specifically designed for KUMC Certification.
The Course Content leads participants through 7 Badges:
- Scientific Concepts and Research Design Badge.
- Protocol Development in Clinical Trials Badge.
- Ethics & Participant Safety Badge.
- Investigational Products Development & Regulation Badge.
- Clinical Study Operations (GCP) Badge.
- Study and Site Management & Team Leadership and Collaboration Badge.
- Data Management & Informatics Badge.
Background Information - ECHO Cohort
The primary goal of the ECHO Cohort is to bring diverse participant populations together into one large ECHO Cohort so that ECHO investigators and the wider community of scientists can address research questions about effects of a broad range of early environmental exposures on child health and development, questions that no smaller study can answer alone. The ECHO Cohort follows children and their mothers (and some fathers) long-term. In most cases, it recruited participants prenatally.
Standardized Core Data Elements
ECHO Cohort Study Sites share standardized core data elements managed by a central coordinating center and an associated data analysis center. Although each study site is unique, the collection of data in a similar way ensures that all information can be combined and used by researchers. The core elements addressed across all sites are:
- Demographics
- Typical early health and development
- Genetic influences on early childhood health and development
- Environmental factors
The ECHO Cohort participant population includes children from diverse backgrounds across the United States, supports approaches that can evolve as science does, and takes advantage of technological advances.
Where: Online
Description: The Foundations of Clinical Trials (FCT) Investigators Certificate is a professional development program designed for clinical research team members who support clincial trials. This certificate builds essential competencies aligned with industry standards and enhances investigator skills.
Intended Audience:
This certificate is designed for:
- Investigators and team members engaged in ECHO ISPCTN clinical trials.
- New or experienced investigators seeking foundational knowledge in multicenter clinical trials.
- Individuals preparing for roles requiring competency in clinical trial conduct.
Certificate Structure:
This self-paced online certificate includes:
- Modules mapped to Joint Task Force core clinical research competencies.
- Video lectures followed by brief quizzes.
- A final certificate listing earned badges upon successful completion.
ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN)
ECHO ISPCTN helps address disparities in pediatric research by including children from rural or underserved populations in clinical trials, and by building pediatric research capacity in states with historically low NIH funding.
By conducting clinical trials focused in ECHO's five outcome areas, this 18-state network helps researchers gain knowledge that will enhance the health of children in IDeA states. Because ECHO ISPCTN includes a presence in rural and underserved areas, it is well-positioned to address health issues that disproportionately affect those communities. The network provides a broad scope of research not limited to a single population, specialty, condition, or age group.
ECHO ISPCTN also builds research capacity by strengthening an institution's ability to support biomedical research and enhancing the competitiveness of its investigators in securing future research funding.
Where: Online
Description: The Foundations of Clinical Trials (FCT) Research Coordinators Certificate is a professional development program designed for clinical research team members who support clinical trials. This certificate builds essential competencies aligned with industry standards and enhances research coordinator skills.
Intended Audience:
- Clinical research coordinators and team members engaged in ECHO ISPCTN clinical trials.
- New or experienced professionals seeking foundational knowledge in multicenter clinical trials.
- Individuals preparing for roles requiring competency in clinical trial conduct.
Certificate Structure:
This self-paced online certificate includes:
- Modules mapped to Joint Task Force core clinical research competencies.
- Video lectures followed by brief quizzes.
- A final certificate listing earned badges upon successful completion.
ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN)
ECHO ISPCTN helps address disparities in pediatric research by including children from rural or underserved populations in clinical trials, and by building pediatric research capacity in states with historically low NIH funding.
By conducting clinical trials focused in ECHO's five outcome areas, this 18-state network helps researchers gain knowledge that will enhance the health of children in IDeA states. Because ECHO ISPCTN includes a presence in rural and underserved areas, it is well-positioned to address health issues that disproportionately affect those communities. The network provides a broad scope of research not limited to a single population, specialty, condition, or age group.
ECHO ISPCTN also builds research capacity by strengthening an institution's ability to support biomedical research and enhancing the competitiveness of its investigators in securing future research funding.
Tobacco Treatment Education
KU Medical Center’s Tobacco Treatment Education courses prepare healthcare and behavioral health professionals to help people quit tobacco through evidence-based counseling. Programs like TTS and STaRT build practical skills and help participants meet certification standards.
Courses
Where: Online
Description: Support for Tobacco Recovery Training (STaRT) is packed with ideas and tips on how to support people in their tobacco recovery journey. There are eight, 15-20 minute modules with both audio and visuals. The course addresses the stigma surrounding tobacco use and why tobacco recovery is so important. You will learn how to meet people where they are, avoid confrontation, listen actively, provide up-to-date information, and connect people with free and effective resources. This course is online and asynchronous. Students will need access to a computer with an Internet connection. No previous academic preparation is required to take this course.
Course Objectives
- Recognize why the language you choose when discussing tobacco recovery is important.
- Identify why tobacco use disorder is both a mental illness and a substance use disorder.
- Demonstrate how to have a conversation about tobacco use in a non-confrontational way.
- Describe the benefits of tobacco recovery.
- Explain how celebrating small victories/wins is important to tobacco recovery.
- Discuss the role that peers, coaches, health workers, and allies can play in tobacco recovery.
- Review the pros and cons of different treatment approaches to tobacco recovery.
- Describe the health consequences of e-cigarette use.
- Explain why it is important to use evidence-based tools to help people recover from tobacco dependence.
Dónde: En línea
Detalles del curso: Acompañamiento guiado para la recuperación del consumo de tabaco (STaRT, por sus siglas en inglés)está repleto de ideas y consejos sobre cómo apoyar a las personas en su proceso de recuperación. Consta de ocho módulos de 15 a 20 minutos con audio y recursos visuales. El curso aborda el estigma que rodea al consumo de tabaco y la importancia de la recuperación. Aprenderá a comprender las necesidades de las personas, evitar la confrontación, escuchar activamente, brindar información actualizada y conectarlas con recursos gratuitos y eficaces. Este curso es en línea y asincrónico. Los estudiantes necesitarán acceso a una computadora con conexión a internet. No se requiere preparación académica previa para realizarlo.
Objetivos del curso
- Reconozca por qué es importante el lenguaje que usted elige cuando habla sobre la recuperación del tabaco.
- Identificar por qué el trastorno por consumo de tabaco es a la vez una enfermedad mental y un trastorno por consumo de sustancias.
- Demostrar cómo tener una conversación sobre el consumo de tabaco de una manera no confrontativa.
- Describe los beneficios de la recuperación del tabaco.
- Explique cómo celebrar pequeñas victorias/triunfos es importante para la recuperación del tabaco.
- Analice el papel que pueden desempeñar los pares, entrenadores, trabajadores de la salud y aliados en la recuperación del tabaco.
- Revise los pros y contras de los diferentes enfoques de tratamiento para la recuperación del tabaco.
- Describe las consecuencias para la salud del uso del cigarrillo electrónico.
- Explique por qué es importante utilizar herramientas basadas en evidencia para ayudar a las personas a recuperarse de la dependencia del tabaco.
Where: Online
Description: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training (TTS) will give providers the motivation, knowledge, and skills to integrate tobacco treatment into their current practices, and to become tobacco prevention and treatment advocates. The KU Tobacco Treatment Specialist (KU TTS) training is an online training that will require approximately 14-18 hours to complete and will conclude with 8 hours of virtual skills training. This course is online and asynchronous. Students will need a computer with a camera and microphone along with internet connection. No previous academic preparation is required in order to take this course. Students must be free from tobacco (self-report) for at least 6 months prior to training.
Important Dates:
- Monday, February 8: Course opens and Orientation (9 - 10 am. CST)
- Monday, April 26: Virtual Skills Building Day (8:30 am - 5:00 pm. CST)
Course Objectives:
- Provide clear and accurate information about tobacco use, strategies for quitting, the scope of the health impact on the population, and the causes and consequences of tobacco use.
- Demonstrate effective application of counseling theories and strategies to establish a collaborative relationship, and to facilitate client involvement in treatment and commitment to change.
- Conduct an assessment interview to obtain comprehensive and accurate data needed for treatment planning.
- Demonstrate the ability to develop an individualized treatment plan using evidence-based treatment strategy.
- Provide clear and accurate information about pharmacotherapy options available and their therapeutic uses.
- Offer methods to reduce relapse and provide ongoing support for tobacco-dependent persons.
- Demonstrate competence in working with population subgroups and those who have specific health issues.
- Describe and use methods for tracking individual progress, record keeping, program documentation, and outcome measurement and reporting.
- Consistently use a code of ethics and adhere to government regulations specific to the health care or worksite setting.
- Assume responsibility for continued professional development and contributing to the development of others.