Emory Health Services Research Center Training Grant - Project Summary This is an application for the Emory Health Services Research Center Training Grant for postdoctoral trainees (MD and PhD) at Emory University. The goal of this program is to train diverse candidates in the study of health services research and health inequities, based on factors such as race/ethnicity, sex/gender, socioeconomic status, geographical residence, healthcare access, and physical/mental disability, with a focus on the underlying systemic, behavioral, and environmental mechanisms. A distinguishing feature of our program is the utilization of a multidisciplinary approach to expose trainees to multiple methods and research areas, from epidemiology and biostatistics to behavioral and social sciences, biological sciences, and health policy and implementation. Each trainee has a primary mentor but works within a mentoring team with diverse expertise. A maximum of 4 postdoctoral trainees will be in the program at any time point, each supported for 2 years. Training will include multidisciplinary mentoring along with coursework, inter-departmental seminars, hands-on research, grant writing and career development. Our main source of postdoctoral applicants will be split between MD and PhD fellows. Postdoctoral fellows will be MDs pursuing a research career in health services, or PhD graduates in epidemiology, health policy, health economics, or other relevant areas. Post-doctoral trainees will have the opportunity to obtain an MS in Clinical Research or a Certificate in Clinical and Translational Research and can select a personalized training pathway with didactic coursework, supplemented with online trainings from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and other health system- engaged experiences. The program will concentrate on successful training and career development, promoted by solid collaborations among the Rollins School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, and the School of Nursing. We will strive to appoint fellows from racial/ethnic minority groups and other underrepresented groups. Our program responds to several emphasis areas for the AHRQ T32 program, including multidisciplinary training, collaborative research, diversity of trainees, data sciences, translation research, presentation skills, and project management, with strong emphasis on mentorship and career development. Addressing health services inequities is a top priority of the strategic vision of the AHRQ. The ultimate goal of this program is to prepare diverse individuals for leadership positions in health services research in order to reduce inequalities in health care and health care systems.
