Summary
The goal of this R25 proposal is to continue and expand our state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary training program
to enhance the methodological skills of early-career scientists conducting integrative health research. Health
and health inequities are a function of social, behavioral, biological, and environmental factors. However,
scientific training on these various factors is often siloed across disciplines and professions (e.g., clinical vs.
social/behavioral sciences). This lack of integration results in inefficiencies in the growth of scientific
knowledge, limits cross-pollination in interdisciplinary teams, and fosters a piecemeal approach to clinical care
and health services that fails to meet the needs of individuals with complex health conditions, particularly those
from disadvantaged or minority communities. In 2020, with support from NCCIH/OBSSR, we launched the first
NIH-funded training program focused on building methodological expertise in integrative health, with a focus on
minority health and health inequities. The proposed continuation of the Michigan Integrative Well-Being and
Inequalities (MIWI) Training Program will develop the research skills of multidisciplinary cohorts of early-career
scientists on the intersections between social, behavioral, biological, and environmental aspects of health, with
attention to how these intersections contribute to minority health and health disparities. MIWI uses case-based,
applied learning to help trainees explicitly link theoretical models that inform empirical research to the study
designs and analytic tools appropriate for addressing novel questions about health and health inequities in an
integrative manner. MIWI is a hybrid training program, consisting of a 3-day residential summer institute which
is paired with 9-months of ongoing virtual mentoring and networking building with senior scholars and peer
alumni, and additional didactic training via webinars. Trainees propose and workshop a research project over
this period, where they directly apply the knowledge and skills they gain through the program. MIWI is
designed to attract three types of trainees: (i) Behavioral/social scientists who are interested in learning how to
incorporate and analyze biomedical measures; (ii) Clinical/health services researchers interested in assessing
psychosocial and environmental aspects of health; and (iii) Minority health researchers who want to employ a
more comprehensive approach in their work. The continued success of MIWI will be evaluated by assessing
trainee skills development, research performance, and sustainable capacity building. The MIWI Leadership
Core (Mezuk, Gonzalez, Taylor, and Hudson) has an established track record of training junior investigators,
particularly under-represented minority scientists, through their leadership of several Center-based education
programs. MIWI will apply the lessons-learned from our decades of training experience, our strong Institutional
Resource Partners, our established national network of Senior Mentors, and our growing network of Peer
Alumni Mentors, in a focused program centered on building the scientific skills necessary to expand the field of
interdisciplinary, integrative health science.