Guyana Research in Injury and Trauma Training (GRITT) Program

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Self-harm, violence and road accidents, the leading causes of mortality in Guyana, engender preventable, yet sustained public health crises. Guyana’s trauma/injury mortality burden is the highest in South America, with its suicide rate (80% pesticide ingestion) the third highest in the world. Fortunately, the Guyanese leadership, both academic and governmental, have demonstrated a strong public health commitment to addressing these problems. Unfortunately, however, the country does not currently have research capacity in trauma/injury prevention on which to build evidence-based, context-specific prevention strategies. We propose, therefore, a cross-national, cross-institutional collaboration, to transition their current capacity in trauma/injury research, by jointly creating the Guyana Research in Injury and Trauma Training (GRITT) Program, a Sister Program of the Columbia (University) Center for Injury Science and Prevention (CCISP). GRITT will provide in-depth training in research design and methods, combined with jointly mentoring trainees through intensive, hands-on research projects and by facilitating entry into advanced degree programs (Masters or Ph.D.). GRITT will be built on collaboration between the Columbia University and Guyana’s Ministry of Health ongoing NIMH funded longitudinal epidemiological national study of suicide. The primary institutions devoted to establishing and sustaining GRITT are the University of Guyana, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, and Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health Dept. of Epidemiology. In a transparent, competitive process designed to ensure under-represented participation, GRITT will train along four pathways, allowing for variations in discipline, levels of expertise, professional roles and geared toward pursuit of a Masters or PhD in the area of trauma/injury research. The four research training pathways are: (1) Health Professionals in the Accident and Emergency Department and the Guyana Emergency Medical Services will receive individual mentoring and participate in collaborative on-the-job research projects designed to enhance careers as researchers in trauma/injury prevention; (2) Medical Residents will be offered training in research methods and group/individual mentoring focused on trauma/injury; (3) Masters students (Public Health, Nursing, Social Work, Psychology, Education, Pharmacy) will be offered research-focused virtual courses, intensive summer training, and a jointly mentored research practicum/project on a trauma/injury topic, geared to pursuit of a research career, including a Ph.D., and; (4) Health care Post-Bacs, participating in a Columbia University Certificate program will receive on-line training in research methods and will be supported for a Masters degree focused on injury/trauma prevention. Also, in the first six-months and then on a regular basis, GRITT faculty, staff and local Mentors will participate in workshops focused on research methods, including identification of projects for faculty/students, e.g., self-harm, interpersonal violence, road accidents. Workshops will also include effective mentoring techniques and establish interactive learning approaches for the shared virtual monthly trauma/injury Seminar Series at CCSIP.