Training in Health Disparities of Underserved Population

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overarching goal of this research education program is to prepare creative and independent nurse scientists to identify, prevent, and reduce health disparities in underserved populations. The School of Nursing will be the major participating unit. The program will benefit from close affiliations and collaborations with additional units in the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. We will further develop mechanisms to encourage accelerated or "fast track" training with flexible curricula. We will provide the necessary theoretical and methodological background to conduct studies of the highest quality. The program will accommodate four predoctoral and one postdoctoral nurse trainees each year. The pre and postdoctoral students will obtain transdisciplinary research training, in which mentors from different disciplines will bring their complimentary and related expertise to facilitate learning under a shared conceptual framework, to meet the following learning objectives: 1. To understand the relative contribution of structural, financial and personal barriers to health care and mediators that contribute to health disparities by impeding the achievement of optimal health of underserved populations; 2. To design and test culturally appropriate interventions to address the most influential barriers that hinder the achievement of optimal health outcomes of underserved populations; 3. To provide trainees with the skills and expertise to respond to new knowledge; 4. To translate research findings into practice and policy through a variety of mechanisms working with clinicians, educators, communities, and policy makers. The training objectives will be accomplished through a combination of program components that address health disparities of underserved populations. These components include required course work, elective courses, a special Health Disparities Research Seminar for trainees, an Underserved Populations Journal Club, and research assistantships with one or more of the core or resource faculty. The program plans include process and outcome evaluation and strategic recruitment with special emphasis on underrepresented minorities, as well as training in the ethical conduct of research, scientific integrity and cultural competence.