The Community Health Worker (CHW) Academy at Charles R. Drew University educates individuals to improve health outcomes and promote health equity in underserved communities.
Our culturally responsive program prepares CHWs to work in clinical and community health settings, bridging gaps in care and promoting access, trust, and advocacy across Los Angeles and beyond.
Join the Community Health Worker (CHW) Academy at CDU
Are you ready to make a lasting impact on community health? The Community Health Worker (CHW) Academy at Charles R. Drew University empowers individuals to become frontline leaders in advancing health equity.
Our CHW training program equips you with the knowledge and skills to serve as a vital link between underserved communities and health care systems. Through culturally responsive, standards-based education, you’ll gain practical experience for careers in both clinical and community settings.
Take the first step toward becoming a certified Community Health Worker and help drive meaningful change in your community.
Free CHW training, certification, and career support
May 25 – August 14, 2026
Program Overview
Earn your Community Health Worker certificate through a comprehensive training program designed for individuals committed to advancing health equity and serving their communities.
What You’ll Receive
- 108-hour online CHW training in clinical and hospital settings
- Six in-person Saturday training sessions
- Minimum 20 hours of field work experience
- One year of job placement and career support
History
At the establishment of the Academy, ten national and regional experts participated in National Experts Advisory Meetings, as well as a retreat hosted by the Academy at CDU in September of 2019. The objective of this retreat was to answer a key question to guide this initial step of the project: What is the best way that the Academy can develop the CHW training curricula with a focus on the clinical context? In addition to the Academy administrators, participants included CHWs, academic allies with expertise in CHW research and advocacy, health care administrators, and CDU students.
The objective of this retreat was to answer a key question to guide this initial step of the project: What is the best way that the Academy can develop the CHW training curricula with a focus on the clinical context? In addition to the Academy administrators, participants included CHWs, academic allies with expertise in CHW research and advocacy, health care administrators, and CDU students.
Our curriculum was planned in the context of a partnership between the CDU CHW Academy and a regional healthcare organization, Providence, with the intention of training CHWs to be placed in regional clinics and hospitals. Providence has utilized Community Health Workers (CHWs) for more than a decade to enrich its health care programs. However, most Providence CHWs had not benefitted from standards-based training in a clinical setting and have worked together to develop standards-based curricula for clinical CHWs.
Community Health Workers in Clinical Settings
While historically based in communities, Community health workers (CHWs) are an emerging and vibrant health care workforce who can be integral components of clinical care teams, facilitating a more dynamic patient-centered perspective. They have played an increasingly important role in health care programs, often bridging the gap between clinic and community by facilitating care coordination, health promotion and communication between clinicians and patients in a manner that is generally assumed to be acceptable to care recipients and ultimately improving health outcomes.
CHW interventions have been identified as an essential strategy to address health disparities for patient-centered medical homes by the National Institutes of Health Care and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and applauded for their contributions to the Institute for Health Care Improvement’s Triple Aim objectives. On March 19, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a memorandum that included CHWs in the list of “essential critical infrastructure workers who are imperative during the response to the COVID-19 emergency for both public health and safety as well as community well-being.”
Purpose of the Academy
Charles R. Drew University Community Health Worker Academy prepares and strengthens Community Health Workers (CHWs) as an essential part of today’s health care workforce. Our mission centers on:
- Educating and advocating: Engaging health systems and health professionals to recognize the value of CHWs and supporting policies that advance this growing profession.
- Standards-based training: Designing and delivering curricula tailored to clinical settings that serve multicultural and underserved communities, in partnership with leading health care organizations.
- Research and integration: Conducting research to close knowledge gaps and developing strategies to train, support, and fully integrate CHWs into health care teams.
By investing in Community Health Worker education, advocacy, and research, CDU builds a stronger, more inclusive health care workforce that improves outcomes for diverse populations.
Upcoming Cohorts
Next Cohort Starts: January 26, 2026
Join our paid Community Health Worker training program designed for young adults ages 18–24 who are ready to start a healthcare career.
Program Requirements
- High school diploma or GED.
- Authorization to work in the U.S.
- Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
- Must live in Los Angeles County.
- Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
- Commitment of 4 months, 40 hours per week.
Program Benefits
- Complete online courses via Zoom.
- Paid training – earn while you learn.
- In-person internship at a hospital or clinic.
- Graduates receive a CHW certification.
- Career coaching and job placement support.
Questions? Contact Us.
