The SARI Program: Training Nurse Scientists in Applied Research Examining Non-Biological Factors Related to Health - Non-biological factors—such as everyday environments, social relationships, and healthcare systems—contribute to variations in outcomes across the lifespan. Applied research (research on real-world, practical issues that seeks to work towards effective interventions and solutions) is urgently needed to better understand the relationships between these non-biological factors and health outcomes, and to identify evidence-based strategies to optimize health for all individuals. The scientific community, however, lacks adequate training and resources to tackle the methodological challenges associated with studying non-biological factors. We designed the Scholars for Applied Research and Impact (SARI) Program to address this critical need by equipping a workforce of PhD students through mid-career nurse scientists with the skills to conduct high-quality applied research focused on non-biological factors that impact health. Nurse scientists are our primary demographic; however, given the benefits of transdisciplinary collaboration, the Program will also be open to other scientists. Two nationally recruited cohorts of 15 SARI Scholars (N = 30) will participate in 12 months of training, in which they will learn conceptual, methodological, measurement, and intervention strategies in applied research on non-biological factors and health. The scholars will apply these learnings to study factors including the everyday environment (e.g., physical/built environment), and social (e.g., engagement) and system (e.g., healthcare) differences. The intent is to train researchers to design interventions that can be used to improve health across health conditions, populations, and life course stages. A broadly representative group of 33 transdisciplinary experts was assembled to provide didactic content, mentorship, hands-on research experience in non-biological factors, and program advisement. Drawing from the rich resources at Villanova, Johns Hopkins, and Howard Universities, our first aim is to train SARI on the fundamentals of non-biological factors research and novel strategies to reduce poor health outcomes. This will prepare them to develop and test interventions in real-world settings. Our second aim is to mentor SARI in the completion of a research-related product. Hands-on mentorship and research exposure will enable Scholars to continue to research and publish on their chosen topics after training, and become leaders at their home institutions and beyond. Our third aim is to evaluate the impact of the SARI Program to consider Program continuation and replication. Our evaluation will guide future improvements to ensure maximal impact and participant satisfaction. At the end of the SARI Program, there will be a cadre of nursing and other scientists who competently integrate complex concepts, methodologies, and intervention strategies related to non-biological factors that affect health into research, practice, education, and healthcare policy. We will make our curriculum manual and learning management system available to others to replicate the SARI Program, extending the reach of our training program beyond the proposed award period.
