Physical, Cognitive and Mental Health in Social Context

描述（由申请人提供）：这一竞争性更新申请要求继续在佛罗里达大学（UF）进行博士前培训计划，该计划于2003年首次获得资助。这个项目的目的，与老年学/老年病学的主要目标一致，是培养博士前研究人员的相关策略：(a)识别老年人功能独立的潜在前因，(b)设计和评估可能预防残疾的干预措施。其次，对于那些已经经历了严重功能丧失的老年人，这个博士前培训计划的重点是确定可能减少治疗的负面后果和医源性影响的政策和做法。中风、髋部骨折等急性事件，以及循环系统和心血管疾病、糖尿病、骨关节炎和认知障碍等慢性疾病，都是被广泛研究的残疾前兆，也代表着可能减少的可改变因素

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This competitive renewal application requests continuation of a predoctoral training program at the University of Florida (UF), which was first funded in 2003. The purpose of this program, consistent with the chief goal of gerontology/geriatrics, is to train predoctoral researchers in strategies related to: (a) identifyig potential antecedents of functional independence in older adults, and (b) designing and evaluating interventions that may prevent disability. Secondarily, for those elders who have already experienced substantial loss of function, this predoctoral training program focuses on identifying policies and practices that may reduce negative consequences and iatrogenic effects of treatment. Acute events like stroke, hip fracture, and chronic conditions including circulatory and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and cognitive impairment all constitute widely studied precursors of disability and also represent potentially modifiable factors to reduce progression down the disability pathway. Informed by major theories of functional independence, we aim to prepare pre- doctoral trainees for postdoctoral fellowships and subsequent research placements in settings including traditional disciplinary departments, clinical research environments, and multidisciplinary gerontology programs. With the co-location and collaboration between UF's health science and liberal arts campuses, UF is uniquely positioned to offer training in the biopsychosocial components of independence, as well as health care, technology, and policy aspects of care for aged persons with disability. Disciplines represented in this proposal include applied physiology and kinesiology, geriatric medicine, health services research, linguistics, neurology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, sociology, and speech pathology. Core program components include (1) assignment of each student to a frequently convened multi- disciplinary mentoring team (2) formation and close tracking of productivity goals in the areas of research, education, and service ; (3) a weekly campus-wide colloquium series featuring top national speakers, local researchers in aging, and professional development; (4) required supplemental coursework and other didactics in Aging and Statistics/Methodology, as well as Responsible Conduct of Research. Our mentoring team approach allows us to actively engage energetic newer faculty ("mentors in training") in primary mentoring roles, while supplementing and complementing them with seasoned, productive senior investigators. Funds are requested for six (6) predoctoral trainees. Students who have successfully completed the first year of doctoral study are eligible, although preference is given to students who have completed doctoral qualifying examinations, thereby selectively investing resources in committed, productive students who have already completed major program milestones. Of our 23 funded trainees since program start, 6 are now in faculty positions, 10 are in postdoctoral/research associate positions, 5 are still in training, and 1 has left academia. Six (27%) of the trainees are members of under-represented groups.