Health Behavior Research: Minority Pediatric Populations

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The major purpose of this training program is to prepare individuals for academic careers as independent researchers in the field of pediatric health behavior research, with an emphasis on minority populations. The training program provides systematic predoctoral and postdoctoral research training into the behavioral and psychosocial factors involved in the etiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of children and adolescents with chronic diseases (including e.g., diabetes, sickle cell disease, asthma, and HIV infection). A major emphasis of this work is on understanding behavioral and psychosocial factors in relation to disease processes and health outcomes in ethnic minority youth, especially those of Hispanic, African American, and Haitian American backgrounds. To a large extent training will be closely coordinated with several extramurally funded NIH and private foundation grants, including behavioral and neurodevelopmental studies of children and adolescents with diabetes (NIDDK); children with HIV (Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group, Ryan White Title I and Title IV demonstration projects) and sickle cell disease (multi-center trials of outcomes of hydroxyruea and bone marrow transplantation, NHLBI); educational intervention for children treated for brain cancer (American Cancer Society); perinatal drug exposure and child development (NIDA); and studies of the health behavior effects of violence exposure. Much of our research focuses upon the role of behavioral factors in the onset, course, and management of chronic disease in ethnic minority children, adolescents, and their families. Research populations are readily available through the Department of Pediatrics. Trainees receive mentoring by faculty members, and seminars focused on chronic illness, research design and data analysis, ethics, multicultural issues, and professional writing, including manuscript preparation and grant applications. Although emphasis at both the pre- and postdoctoral level is upon research, the didactic training available includes multiple courses in advanced statistics, interventions in pediatric medical disorders, neuropsychology, epidemiology, and specialized seminars in chronic illness, research design, ethics, and cultural factors. This training program represents a coordinated effort of faculty from the Departments of Psychology, Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Public Health, and Medicine, committed to training of psychology graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in health behavior research.