Strengthening Child Health Research Capacity in Resource Constrained Settings

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The proposed, “Strengthening Child Health Research Capacity in Resource Constrained Settings” (Researcher Resilience Training, RRT) will develop, deliver and test state-of-the-art methods training and “hands-on” research experience to advanced doctoral students and early career investigators, specifically those of African descent, committed to addressing the serious threats to child behavioral health (CBH), as well as prevention and care disparities in poverty-impacted contexts. This RRT will prepare Fellows to focus their research on serious overlapping outcomes, including: 1) disruptive behavioral difficulties; 2) engagement in early sexual/drug risk behaviors and; 3) early acts of delinquency, including violent behavior for youth living in scarce-resource communities. The RRT aims to develop and support a pipeline of new CBH investigators prepared to advance scientific knowledge about system and community-level interventions that can address the disproportionate health burdens experienced by poverty-impacted youth of African descent via enhancing protective family, neighborhood, system supports; reducing disparities; and advancing racial and health equity. This training leverages existing transdisciplinary partnerships within Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), and with safety net child service delivery partners committed to serving families of African descent in poverty-impacted communities and advancing health equity in the racially segregated metro area of St. Louis. The RRT is guided by 4 Specific Aims: 1) to recruit 5 cohorts of advanced doctoral students and early career investigators of African descent committed to conducting CBH prevention, intervention, services, implementation and scale-up research within resource constrained settings (9 Fellows; n=45 across 5 years); 2) to develop and deliver a summer research training program aimed at equipping Fellows with research skills capable of addressing the significant challenges within resource-poor settings through didactic instruction, mentoring, “hands-on” immersion in child-focused studies, individualized consultation, goal setting, monitoring and ongoing support across time; 3) to advance academic/community/safety net system research partnerships on CBH and child well-being and; 4) to examine the short-term and longitudinal impact of RRT. The yearly RRT will occur across 6-8 weeks (summer). Fellows will participate in a two-week, face-to-face training program at WUSTL. Teaching faculty will be drawn from partnering WUSTL Schools and Departments and child serving organizations. Next, Fellows will spend 4 to 6 weeks embedded across existing CBH-focused research projects, exclusively led by investigators of color. Scientists with advanced methods expertise will provide intensive consultation to Fellows. A rigorous mixed-methods evaluation will track individual Fellow progress and the impact of the RRT on overall CBH research partnerships. The RRT aligns with NICHD's mission to ensure the healthy functioning of all youth and families by creating new science-based approaches to directly address disparities driven by inequities at individual, social, community and service systems levels.