This proposal requests a renewal of our T32 research training grant that supports 4 pre-doctoral trainees and 2 post-doctoral trainees annually. The Yale program is based in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health, engaging core faculty from four other departments within YSPH and ten other departments outside YSPH. The program is now in its tenth year, having supported 26 trainees (13 pre-docs and 13 post-docs). The metrics of success are clear: trainees complete the program in a timely manner; trainees have published 73 unique articles based on their program engagement; 95% of those who have completed the program are currently in research-intensive or research-related positions. This program is designed with a distinctive objective: to train young scholars who are skilled at working in cross-disciplinary teams, who are committed to tackling problems of real-world importance, and who are engaged in the process not simply of creating policy-relevant findings, but also actively translating those findings into policy (both the public and private sector) and practice. The program is designed to foster those objectives. It incorporates multiple mentors for each trainee to provide them with a breadth of disciplinary exposure. It incorporates an applied field experience (the TRIPP) to help them better understand the practical and institutional constraints on translating research in practice, in their specific field of interest. And it provides trainees with access to a constellation of research centers, each with established ties to real-world decision-makers. Looking ahead, we propose to continue the mix of pre- and post-doctoral training and their expected duration of funding (3-4 years for the pre-docs, 2 years for the post-docs). Over its ten-year history, the research training program has evolved in response to lessons we have learned about effective ways of fostering in young scholars a deep engagement with research that has impact. Over that time, we have expanded the program arrangements that foster effective mentorship and develop our trainees as independent scholars. In addition, we have adapted the composition of our program faculty to better accord with the current priorities at AHRQ; half of the core faculty are newly affiliated with the program, emphasizing enhanced attention and expertise in key priorities of safety, equity, and promoting patient-centered care.
This training program is designed to develop a cohort of young scholars capable of identifying timely research problems, creatively conceptualizing responses, applying cutting-edge research techniques, and effectively guiding the translation of findings into policy and practice. Our trainees are prepared to tackle the complex ways in which contemporary health and health care problems transcend disciplinary boundaries. Their published work, both during and after completing the program, has had a demonstrable impact of health care, policy, and practice.
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