Focused Training in Social Networks and Health

 描述（由申请人提供）：健康和健康行为严重依赖于社交网络。传染病（如艾滋病毒）的传播，以及影响健康行为（如饮食风险行为）的信念和做法的传播，都可以被理解为网络产生的健康过程，在社交网络上运作（有时非常复杂和动态）。这一认识在过去15年中社会网络和健康研究的急剧增长中得到了证明。尽管明确的需求和日益认识到健康的重要性，网络方法很少包括在标准的社会科学方法序列特征的健康和健康政策学者。由于网络科学的方法论范围是如此广泛，我们使用一种务实的方法，利用三角大学之间的本地专业知识的深度。我们从一套核心的基础课程开始，分支到专门设计的研讨会，围绕学生正在进行的手头项目所需的技能。这种新颖的“主干和分支”培训结构将同时培养对社会网络和健康研究的广泛理解和素养，同时提供项目研究员（三角区NIH前和博士后）的技能和资源需要移动研究从早期的想法，实用，合理和生成社交网络和健康研究。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Health and health behavior depend crucially on social networks. Both the spread of communicable diseases, such as HIV, and the diffusion of beliefs and practices that shape health behavior, such as dietary risk behavior, can be understood as network-generated health processes, operating over (sometimes very complex and dynamic) social networks. This recognition is evidenced by the dramatic growth in social network and health studies in the last 15 years. Despite the clear demand and growing recognition of health importance, network methods are rarely covered in the standard social-science methods sequences characteristics of health and health-policy scholars. Since the methodological scope of network science is so broad, we use a pragmatic approach that draws on the depth of local expertise among triangle universities. We start with a core set of foundational courses that branch out to workshops specifically designed around skills needed for in-hand projects the students are working on. This novel "trunk-and-branch" training structure will simultaneously create broad understanding and literacy in social network and health research while providing program fellows (triangle-area NIH pre-and post-docs) with the skills and resources needed to move research from inchoate ideas to practical, well-reasoned and generative social networks and health research.