Person and family-oriented care is pivotal to maximizing health and function in old age. The goal of this program is to produce the next generation of researchers with rigorous training in person and family-centered health services and outcomes research, all applied to geriatrics and gerontology. This program is conducted jointly by health services researchers, gerontologic nursing researchers, and geriatricians with a strong commitment to bringing together students and fellows in all these disciplines to develop expertise in the content areas and methodologies that are essential to advancement of the field and an understanding of how health services, care delivery and financing systems might optimally be designed to serve the needs of older adults. This training program will capitalize on the rich resources for health services, gerontology, nursing, and geriatric research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (SOM), School of Nursing (SON), and the University. Pre- and post-doctoral trainees will obtain the skills and experiences needed to lead multi-disciplinary, collaborative research teams. Pre-doctoral trainees will undertake a rigorous program of coursework in the core domains of public health and gerontology including epidemiology, biostatistics, health services, health policy, and research ethics. In close consultation with their training program advisor team, post-doctoral trainees will complete core training grant curriculum courses and additional courses required to complement their prior academic experience. All pre- and post- doctoral trainees will participate in a year-long practicum experience, a bi-weekly seminar, ongoing mentored research projects, and yearly integrative activities to complement their didactic curriculum. These components will provide trainees with a solid foundation in health services and outcomes research while providing the opportunity to pursue specialized training in focal areas of interest. The program will include 6-8 trainees: 3-4 pre-doctoral students and 2-4 post-doctoral fellows per year. These trainees will be supported by an experienced group of 22 core faculty and 31 affiliate faculty with expertise in one or more fields related to aging research. The training program Co-Directors, Drs. Jennifer Wolff and Cynthia Boyd are accomplished scholars and national leaders in their research fields who have a strong track record of co-mentorship. A nationally recognized Advisory Committee will provide high-level guidance. The training program will be housed in the JHSPH Department of Health Policy and Management and run jointly with the JHSOM Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, with strong ties to Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. The overarching aim of the program is to identify and train scholars who will become leaders in person and family-oriented research relating to aging populations.
Our population is aging, which raises many important questions regarding how to deliver optimal care for the growing number of older adults who are frail or have complex health needs such as multiple co-existing conditions or loss of independence. We propose an innovative, interdisciplinary training program to produce the next generation of researchers with robust training in person and family-centered health services and outcomes research, all applied to geriatrics and gerontology. Our program will provide training in the methods to understand how health services, delivery of health care, and financing systems might optimally be designed to serve the needs of older adults.
