Summary
The goal of this R25 application is to provide a state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary methods training program to
enhance the skills of early-career scientists to investigate the intersection of mental and physical health. Mental
disorders and psychological distress influence the development, prognosis, course, and self-management of
leading causes of medical morbidity (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, cancer). Despite this intrinsic linkage,
mental and physical health are often siloed in research, clinical care, and scientific training. This lack of
integration causes inefficiencies in the growth of scientific knowledge and fosters a piecemeal approach to
health that fails to meet the needs of persons with co-occurring mental and physical health conditions. Despite
the need for a more comprehensive approach to research training, currently there are no NIH-funded programs
focused on building methodological expertise regarding the intersection of mental and physical health. In
addition, there are few training opportunities designed to address the methodologic skills needed to investigate
health disparities. The proposed Integrative Methods in Mental and Physical Health Disparities (I-MEHD)
Summer Training Program will develop the research skills of multidisciplinary cohorts of early-career scientists
on the intersection of mental and physical health, with attention to how this intersection contributes to minority
health and health disparities. I-MEHD consists of a 4-day residential summer institute which is paired with 12-months of scientific mentoring to help trainees develop a deep understanding of the conceptual models, study
designs, recruitment strategies, data collection needs, measurement tools, statistical models, and
dissemination approaches appropriate for conducting innovative research on the intersection of mental and
physical health. We anticipate I-MEHD will attract three types of trainees: (i) Behavioral/social scientists
studying mental health who are interested in learning how to incorporate and analyze biological/clinical
measures; (ii) Clinical/health services researchers interested in learning how to assess mental disorders and
related behavioral/psychological constructs; and (iii) Minority health researchers who want to employ a more
comprehensive approach to studying health. The success of I-MEHD will be evaluated by assessing trainee
skills development, research performance, and sustainable capacity building. The Leadership Core (Mezuk,
Jackson, Caldwell and Taylor) of I-MEHD has an established track record of training junior investigators,
particularly under-represented minority scientists, through their leadership of several Center-based education
programs at the University of Michigan. I-MEHD will apply the lessons-learned from our decades of experience
successfully training junior scientists, an extensive pool of Institutional Resources, and a National Network of
Expert Consultants in a focused summer program centered on building the scientific skills necessary to
address the complex intersection of mental and physical health over the lifespan.