Conducting Child Health Care Research in Vulnerable Populations

描述：这是范德比尔特大学医学院儿科的一项新的T32申请。我们的长期目标是为儿科医师和科学家的职业发展建立一个制度性的跨学科项目，他们将成为弱势群体儿童健康研究的未来领导者。这些人群包括由于内在生物学差异、疾病负担加重或经济限制、居住地和无法有效沟通等社会特征而面临不利健康结果风险的儿童。这项建议的具体目标是在实习期结束或研究金培训早期确定合格的受训人员，并向他们提供在合格导师的实验室进行跨学科研究的经验，该实验室有足够的资源和空间，并随时可以接触特殊的易受害儿童群体。为了确保长期成功，这些经验将在所有情况下与范德比尔特临床研究硕士和公共卫生硕士课程以及在弱势群体中进行研究的应用技能实习相结合。鉴于申请人数众多和拟议项目的优势，我们建议支持PGY-4和PGY-5的三名学员，并在必要时为第三名PGY- 6提供部门资源。项目主管将利用一个由范德比尔特大学内外的国家专家组成的咨询委员会，就候选人和导师的选择、所选候选人的学术进步和整体成功获得持续的建议。该提案广泛关注四个核心学科，这些学科代表了范德比尔特大学独特而实质性的研究优势，并定义了弱势群体儿童健康研究新知识需求的关键领域，包括药物流行病学/药物基因组学、神经发育、健康差异和疫苗学/流行病学。该项目的启动将培养一批高素质的儿科医生和科学家，他们具备技能、知识和奉献精神，能够解决我国儿童目前面临的一些最重要的卫生保健问题。

DESCRIPTION: This is a new T32 application from the Department of Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Our long term objective is to establish an institutional interdisciplinary program for the career development of pediatric physician-scientists who will become the future leaders in child health research in vulnerable populations. Such populations include children who are at risk for adverse health outcomes due to intrinsic biologic differences, elevated burdens of disease, or social characteristics such as financial limitations, place of residence, and inability to communicate effectively. The specific aims of this proposal are to identify qualified trainees at the end of residency or early in fellowship training and to provide them with an interdisciplinary research experience in the laboratory of a qualified mentor with adequate resources and space and ready access to unique populations of vulnerable children. To ensure long term success, this experience will in all cases be integrated with the Vanderbilt Master of Science in Clinical Investigation and Master of Public Health programs and an applied skills practicum in conducting research in vulnerable populations. In view of the strong applicant pool and the strengths of the proposed program, we propose support for three trainees in PGY-4 and three in PGY-5 and commit Departmental resources for a third PGY- 6 when necessary. The program directors will utilize an advisory committee composed of national experts within and external to Vanderbilt University to obtain ongoing advice with respect to candidate and mentor selection, scholarly progress of selected candidates and overall success. The proposal is broadly focused within four core disciplines that represent unique and substantial research strengths of Vanderbilt University and that define critical areas of need for new knowledge in child health research on vulnerable populations and include Pharmacoepidemiology/Pharmacogenomics, Neurodevelopment, Health Disparities, and Vaccinology/Epidemiology. Initiation of this program will permit the development of a cadre of highly-qualified pediatric physician-scientists with the skills, knowledge and dedication to solve some of the most important health care issues currently facing our nation's children.