This is the first competitive renewal of the IMSD training program at Harvard. The general aim is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing quantitative research careers in Public Health by expanding and supporting graduate training opportunities for underrepresented minorities at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). Although our program has been running only three years, considerable progress has been made towards achieving our original goals. Hence, many key features of the original proposal will be retained for the proposed renewal. Our continuing scientific focus will be quantitative methods for community-based epidemiological and intervention research. Originally, the grant provided support for six doctoral students per year in the two departments, Biostatistics and Health and Social Behavior. In this renewal, we propose to support an additional four doctoral students per year, for a total of ten, and add two additional departments to the program: Epidemiology and Maternal/Child Health. These additional predoctoral slots will replace two positions our current grant has for M.D. trainees. In addition to the usual offerings of the departments involved in the program, doctoral students supported by the program will receive specialized training in design and analysis techniques for community-based research (e.g. survey sampling, multilevel modeling) as well as practical and ethical issues (e.g. culturally sensitive approaches to research). Trainees will participate in a weekly community-based research seminar and maintain close working relationships with faculty mentors. Our program will continue to provide support for six undergraduates to spend ten weeks as summer interns participating in community-based research. Our central goal for the interns will be to provide a positive and enjoyable research experience that will motivate and prepare them for graduate work. Finally, we will continue to hold an annual one-day symposium focused on research related to health disparities, particularly those associated with race and ethnicity. Ongoing initiatives ensure the availability of a suitable applicant pool for the proposed program. In addition, we have formed strong ties with several undergraduate institutions with high minority enrollment. The program will be evaluated by Educational Development Center Inc. (EDC), a non-profit educational research institution. We also receive valuable advice and constructive criticism at our annual Advisory Committee meeting. The Dean of HSPH enthusiastically supports the program and will continue to provide a substantial financial contribution each year in the form of tuition supplements, discretionary funds, as well as time and effort from senior staff, especially in the Offices of Admissions and Student Affairs.
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