The Northwestern-University of Chicago Health Services Research Training program is a new collaboration that seeks to (1) capitalize on the unique, yet, complementary training assets of the two institutions and (2) sustain the existing strengths and high quality outcomes of each institution??s program. The current Northwestern University (NU) Integrated Fellowship in Health Services and Outcomes Research and the University of Chicago (UC) Heath Services Research Training Program have both been supported by the AHRQ NRSA T- 32 award for 15 years. NU has trained 12-14 postdoctoral fellows/year with additional funds from two NIDRR Training awards, a NIDDK T-32 award, and five Feinberg clinical departments and UC trains 2-3 post-doctoral fellows/year. The NU Integrated Fellowship, based at the Center for Healthcare Studies in the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) has faculty with research and mentorship expertise in Healthcare Quality and Safety Innovation, Healthcare Economics, Healthcare Equity, Maternal-Child Health, Healthcare Policy and Implementation, and Chronic Disease Care and Outcomes. In additional, through IPHAM, fellows have access to faculty research and mentorship expertise in Patient-Centered Outcomes, Community Health, Engineering and Health, Behavior and Health, Global Health, and Aging, Health and Society; additional key NU resources are the Biostatistical Collaboration Core, NU Bioinformatics Center, and well-established collaborations with numerous clinical departments (e.g., Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine, Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Surgery). The UC Heath Services Research Training Program is a interdisciplinary collaboration between social sciences and the Biological Sciences Division (BSD). Faculty from economics, medicine, public policy, sociology, and psychology have expertise and offer mentorship to understand the determinants of health, the organization of health care systems, the quality of medical care in relation to the cost of care. Specific topics o research focus on hospitalist outcomes, health disparities, community health center quality improvement, obesity translational research, prevention of diabetes and depression, cost-effectiveness analysis, geriatric diabetes quality improvement, communication about prescription costs, ethics, and patient centered care. While the NU and UC Programs will remain distinct, the collaboration will (1) bring together a more diverse group of trainees, (2) offer trainees a broader array of potential faculty mentors, (2) expose trainees to the unique expertise offered at each institution, and (3) provide a highly diverse array of clinical contexts or research. The program will offer 24 months of training to 7 post-doctoral fellows each year. Applicants will have a PhD or MD.
The US healthcare system currently faces many challenges and this postdoctoral training program will prepares health services and outcomes researchers who have the much-needed research skills to help inform the health care policymaking process, develop improvements in clinical practice, reduce healthcare disparities, and shape the manner in which healthcare will be delivered and paid for in the future.
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