Helping Everyone Achieve a LifeTime of Health - Future Addiction Scientist Training

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The HEALTH Research Institute was established at UH to pursue a bold research agenda aimed at addressing the public health crises health disparities inflict on our most vulnerable communities. Investing in a new NIDA R25 at UH represents an excellent strategic investment in establishing a diverse pipeline of future substance abuse scientists given our: (1) central location in arguably the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area (~44% Latinx, ~26% White, ~23% Black, and ~7% Asian) in the U.S.; (2) one of the only Tier-1 research institutions with a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation; (3) ~400 health research faculty and 97 degree programs who will benefit from a research education program that focuses on substance abuse given Houston’s designation as a high-intensity drug trafficking area (HTDTA); and (4) the institutional investment in the HEALTH Research Institute which will house this proposed NIDA R25 to ensure it addresses substance abuse education and research training across the University and beyond. This HEALTH – Future Addiction Scientist Training (HEALTH-FAST) Program will focus on annually enrolling and advancing the careers of Doctoral (n=4), Postdoctoral (n=2), and Early Stage Investigators (ESI) Trainees (n=2) – with a total of 40 Trainees from underrepresented backgrounds in the health sciences across the 5-year funding period. This will be achieved by the successful completion of 4 specific aims: (1) Identify, select, educate, and mentor highly qualified Doctoral, Postdoctoral, and ESI Trainees from underrepresented groups in the health sciences for substance abuse research careers with an emphasis on linkages to ATOD-related chronic diseases and health disparities; (2) Develop a cutting-edge substance abuse research education curriculum that will include an array of diverse activities that are reflective of emerging national trends to facilitate an enriching educational experience; (3) Advance skills needed to effectively disseminate innovative scientific research at professional meetings and in peer-reviewed journals, while simultaneously accelerating Trainees’ competitiveness to secure NIDA grant funding; and (4) Systematically evaluate HEALTH-FAST processes, programming, and Trainee outcome data in real-time to demonstrate a NIDA return on investment and inform data-driven program modifications as needed. Given the proposed transdisciplinary approach to health-equity science, the HEALTH-FAST Program will leverage Program Faculty Mentors across 7 colleges and 12 academic units (i.e., Biomedical Engineering; Biomedical Sciences; Clinical Sciences; Electrical & Computer Engineering; Health & Human Performance; Health Systems & Population Health Sciences; Medicinal Chemistry; Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy; Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences; Psychology; Biology & Biochemistry; and Social Work) to execute a cutting-edge research education program.