Substance Use research training program for Physician Researchers in Emergency Medicine (SUPR-EM) - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT There is a strong need in emergency medicine to support the career development of physician-scientists who can develop and evaluate evidence-based substance use disorder interventions in the emergency care setting to improve the treatment and outcomes for patients with substance use disorders. The proposed Substance Use research training program for Physician Researchers in Emergency Medicine (SUPR-EM) R25 at Northwestern University aims to enrich research training for emergency medicine residents during their usual period of training. Applicants to our post-graduate training program in emergency medicine are a diverse group who already demonstrate strong interests and aptitudes for academic careers with recent graduates serving as principal investigators of K-, R-, and U- awards across NIH and AHRQ. For the selected scholars, we seek to support their training so that they strengthen their commitment to an academic career in research that is aligned with the strategic plan of NIDA. SUPR-EM training will be focused on three pillars: 1) core didactic curriculum; 2) experiential research training; and 3) professional development. Each trainee will have a development mentor and at least one resource mentor, tailored to their research interests and training needs. The SUPR-EM core curriculum will include courses in research methods, substance use topics, and best practices and ethics in research. Scholars will participate in the workshops, seminars, and research training opportunities at Northwestern and at relevant emergency medicine professional societies. Scholars will design and execute research projects that culminate in presentations at major national professional meetings and publications. Professional development activities will focus on developing writing and peer review skills and engaging in professional societies and substance use research interest groups. Activities in each of the three pillars will support the acquisition of critical research skills and will build a research portfolio for graduates including: an NIH biosketch, Specific Aims page, multiple didactic presentations on substance use topics, research abstracts, and research manuscripts. Continuous monitoring and iterative program improvement will be achieved by guidance from a highly accomplished Advisory Board and robust evaluation by Northwestern’s Program Evaluation Core. The ultimate goal of the SUPR-EM program is to assure an increase in the number of emergency resident trainees who successfully pursue and achieve academic careers as independently funded substance use disorder physician-scientists. Northwestern is uniquely positioned to assure the success of the SUPR-EM program. If funded, this application would create the only NIDA-funded R25 emergency medicine training program, and we would seek to disseminate our training model to other residency programs nationally.
