PEDSnet Scholars: A Training Program for Pediatric Learning Health System Researchers

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PEDSnet Scholars: A Training Program for Pediatric Learning Health System Researchers Project Summary/Abstract Creating learning health systems (LHSs) that improve child health will require a new generation of researchers embedded in healthcare organizations’ clinical operations and translational research programs. Their work will directly align with the expressed needs of patients, parents, providers, and health system leaders. The evidence base they create will inform health-related decisions of patients and providers and will inform decisions of system leaders focused on improving the quality and efficiency of care. They will also conduct research on implementation of practices that reliably improve health and wellbeing in a wide range of contexts, in order to benefit all children, and to reduce persistent disparities in child health by race, ethnicity, and socio- economic status. Our proposed career development program leverages a broad and diverse faculty across the participating institutions in PEDSnet (pedsnet.org), a research network in PCORnet. Our faculty has over 2 decades of experience in training child health researchers in health services and outcomes research, implementation science, quality improvement, and informatics. The program, called PEDSnet Scholars, will draw from an extensive and diverse pool of applicants (MD and PhD faculty) from 8 pediatric academic medical centers. The program will be organized around an unrelenting focus on improving outcomes. Its Leadership Team co-led the development of the AHRQ learning health system researcher competencies (see Forrest et al, HSR, 2017), has led several post-doctoral and faculty-level health services research, quality improvement, and patient-centered outcomes research training programs, and has an existing long-term relationship working in PEDSnet, a national pediatric learning health system. The 49-member faculty provides additional research, improvement, leadership, and informatics expertise. An external Program Advisory Panel composed of national leaders in pediatric research and improvement and the PEDSnet Engagement Committee composed of parents and clinicians will support the faculty and scholars. We will leverage these resources to: (1) provide scholars with intensive mentorship and training in co-production of research among patients, parents, and other stakeholders in LHSs; (2) deliver a core curriculum that builds competence in conducting LHS research; (3) support scholar career development, including helping to create a career map that aligns scholars’ academic success with productive research of value to patients, families, and health systems; and, (4) create a community of junior faculty who will become leaders in their institutions and the nation in realizing the promise of LHS research for children. The mentorship team for each Scholar will include a local scientist, a senior health system executive, and a scientist from another PEDSnet institution. The program will produce Scholars whose careers align with the needs of children, pediatric delivery systems, and their communities. These individuals will provide the evidence for shared clinical decisions and effective system-based interventions that will bring us closer to the goal of improved health for all children.