The Population Studies Center (PSC) of the University of Michigan requests a five-year renewal of our NICHD Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Training Grant (T32) for training in demography. Established in 1961, PSC is one of the oldest population centers in the United States, with a distinguished record of domestic and international population research and training. This application requests funding for 10 pre-doctoral and 1 post-doctoral trainee slots. The University's highly ranked social science departments and professional schools, in combination with the unique strengths of the Institute for Social Research, make the University of Michigan an exceptionally rich environment for demographic research and training. Supported by NICHD T32 training grants since 1969, the Center's training program is integrally connected to its strong portfolio of individual research grants from NICHD, other NIH institutes, NSF, and major foundations. The proposed training program is conducted in close collaboration with the departments of Economics, Public Health, Sociology, and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. It will provide specialized demographic training to selected predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. Our research and training programs are characterized by a number of thematic areas of excellence, including fertility, children, and families; social inequality and stratification; aging and health; data collection methodologies; and statistical methodologies. The recent record of the program in trainee recruitment and professional placement is excellent, with trainees moving into top academic and non-academic positions and producing high-quality research published in leading journals.
This long-standing training program produces scholars with the knowledge and tools of population science as well as specialized expertise in areas vital to public health. These include child health and development, group disparities, migration and immigration, and reproductive health. The ability of trainees to use the methods and theories of demography alongside outstanding disciplinary training produces scholars that generate knowledge relevant to health and wellbeing and do so from positions in government, academia, and research and policy organizations.
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