Meeting the promise of translational research will require a new cadre of investigators specifically trained to move discoveries from basic and clinical science to prevention and care delivery, where they actually impact the life course trajectories of children. Through this proposed NRSA training program, we will build on the experience of our interdisciplinary Harvard-wide faculty to implement an innovative, highly structured, training program for child health researchers, specifically focused on the translation of evidence into effective care delivery and community intervention for children. Because effective strategies to improve child health often cross boundaries of clinical specialties, this program will include post-residency pediatric generalists and subspecialists from any medical or surgical subspecialty, as well as PhD-trained investigators. Likewise, it will provide tailored training across methodological boundaries, including quantitative and qualitative analytic methods, and context-sensitive methods to engage communities and health systems in research. Trainee research will fall under three domains of central interest to NICHD: 1) studies that advance our understanding of the life course nature of health and illness, and lead to decreased exposure to risk factors (prenatally, in infancy, or in childhood) for future disease;2) research directly related to implementation of new knowledge and innovations in clinical practice, including methods for transforming systems to deliver more effective, coordinated care;and 3) research to eliminate disparities in both health and health care for children, which continue to have pervasive effects on child health. The program will support 3 postdoctoral fellows in each of two years of training (6 total per year). The participating faculty have expertie in a broad range of disciplines devoted to prevention and care of key health conditions including obesity, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, autism, and complex chronic illness and disability, as well as extensive experience in working with diverse patient populations. The program also engages partner organizations currently leading national care improvement efforts. Each trainee will pursue an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health (for core skills of biostatistics and epidemiology), and participate in a curriculum of advanced methods training required to develop and rigorously test innovative strategies in clinical settings and communities. Experienced faculty using well defined mentorship strategies, an extensive research skills curriculum, and close tracking of trainee progress, all ensure completion of high quality research and acquisition of the skills needed for productive academic careers. We expect our graduates to be poised to become leaders in translating """"""""what we know"""""""" into """"""""what we do"""""""" to improve health and health care for children.

Public Health Relevance

Our program will train researchers whose work will ensure that discoveries in basic and clinical science are translated to improve prevention services and care delivery for children, particularly those with chronic conditions. By including a diversity of clinical pediatric disciplines and research methods, we will optimally train researchers to understand childhood risk factors for disease;to transform health systems to deliver more effective, coordinated care to all children;and to eliminate disparities in both health and health care for children.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
1T32HD075727-01
Application #
8474036
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHD1-DRG-D (59))
Program Officer
Winer, Karen
Project Start
2013-05-01
Project End
2018-04-30
Budget Start
2013-05-01
Budget End
2014-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$315,176
Indirect Cost
$18,606
Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Rhee, Chanu; Wang, Rui; Jentzsch, Maximilian S et al. (2018) Impact of the 2012 Medicaid Health Care-Acquired Conditions Policy on Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection and Vascular Catheter-Associated Infection Billing Rates. Open Forum Infect Dis 5:ofy204
Hsu, Heather E; Kawai, Alison Tse; Wang, Rui et al. (2018) The Impact of the Medicaid Healthcare-Associated Condition Program on Mediastinitis Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 39:694-700
Varda, B K; Finkelstein, J B; Wang, H-H et al. (2018) The association between continuous antibiotic prophylaxis and UTI from birth until initial postnatal imaging evaluation among newborns with antenatal hydronephrosis. J Pediatr Urol 14:539.e1-539.e6
Whooten, Rachel C; Perkins, Meghan E; Gerber, Monica W et al. (2018) Effects of Before-School Physical Activity on Obesity Prevention and Wellness. Am J Prev Med 54:510-518
Varda, Briony K; Wang, Ye; Chung, Benjamin I et al. (2018) Has the robot caught up? National trends in utilization, perioperative outcomes, and cost for open, laparoscopic, and robotic pediatric pyeloplasty in the United States from 2003 to 2015. J Pediatr Urol 14:336.e1-336.e8
Varda, Briony K; Cho, Patricia; Wagner, Andrew A et al. (2018) Collaborating with our adult colleagues: A case series of robotic surgery for suspicious and cancerous lesions in children and young adults performed in a free-standing children's hospital. J Pediatr Urol 14:182.e1-182.e8
Whooten, Rachel; Schmitt, Jessica; Schwartz, Alison (2018) Endocrine manifestations of Down syndrome. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes 25:61-66
Kunz, Sarah N; Dukhovny, Dmitry; Profit, Jochen et al. (2018) Predicting Successful Neonatal Retro-Transfer to a Lower Level of Care. J Pediatr :
Varda, Briony K; Logvinenko, Tanya; Bauer, Stuart et al. (2018) Minor procedure, major impact: Patient-reported outcomes following urethral meatotomy. J Pediatr Urol 14:165.e1-165.e5
Macmadu, Alexandria; Carroll, Jennifer J; Hadland, Scott E et al. (2017) Prevalence and correlates of fentanyl-contaminated heroin exposure among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically. Addict Behav 68:35-38

Showing the most recent 10 out of 62 publications