PREDOC TRNG: SOCIAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH RESEARCH AND AGING

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DESCRIPTION (adapted from the application): The department of sociology at CWRU requests funding to continue training predoctoral students in its unique and successful program in health research and aging. Funding is requested for six predoctoral students in each year of the training program (2 new and 4 continuing students). During the first four years of this program, the principal investigator (PI) attracted high caliber students with demonstrated career interests in the field of aging and health. All trainee positions have been filled and students have made progress toward degree completions. Student accomplishments are reflected in national dissertation fellowships, paper presentations at national conferences, publications, and in student elections to offices within professional organizations. Upon graduation, students from the program have obtained positions as college teachers and research scientists in both academic and applied settings. The program faculty has been strengthened by hiring three productive scholars who specialize in research in health or aging. Based in a department with primary specialization in the sociology of aging and health, the training program offers strong grounding in sociological theory, research methods, medical sociology, and the sociology of aging, combined with an innovative and systematic program of professional socialization. Students learn to work as members of multi-disciplinary research teams on diverse funded projects which include program faculty from the department of sociology, and associated faculty from the schools of medicine, nursing, and applied social sciences. Nationally recognized teachers in the program provide a student-centered, facilitative environment. Goals of the training program are implemented by a carefully designed curriculum consisting of formal coursework and professional socialization components. Learning experiences include research apprenticeships, a research proseminar series, a colloquium series, and teaching skills training. In addition, the program fosters early career development through student involvement in professional associations, attendance at national meetings, and the preparation of papers for publication in professional journals. Continued funding of this program will provide opportunities for developing well-trained and creative doctoral level researchers in aging and health, and thus contribute to enhancing the sophistication of research in this field.