Columbia Nursing has been the leader in preparing nurse scientists to conduct interdisciplinary informatics research for more than a decade through the Reducing Health Disparities Through Informatics (RHeaDI) Pre- and Postdoctoral Training Program (T32NR007969) and related funding sources. Moreover, RHeaDI leaders, preceptors, and trainees have conducted interdisciplinary informatics research that has advanced nursing science and health equity. RheaDI aims and training activities in this competitive renewal build upon the substantial achievements of its 14 years of funding, are well-aligned with three of four scientific areas in the 2016 NINR Strategic Plan (Symptom Science, Wellness, and Self-Management), and address the following cross cutting areas: Promoting Innovation - Technology to Improve Health and 21st Century Nurse Scientists - Innovative Strategies for Research Careers. This competitive renewal adds data science-enabled precision medicine approaches consistent with the National Institutes of Health's broad definition of precision medicine as an emerging approach that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle. Importantly, RHeaDI training will continue to target underserved, disadvantaged, and diverse populations across the care continuum and, consistent with evolving trends, its frame has shifted from reducing health disparities to advancing health equity, i.e., the attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Given our success in recruiting a diverse cadre of nurses for RHeaDI and the program outcomes, we are requesting 4 predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral positions.
The specific aims of RHeaDI for the competitive renewal for Years 16-20 are to: 1) Maintain an administrative structure to support interdisciplinary research training for nurses focused on the use of informatics and precision medicine approaches to advance health equity and facilitate evidence-based practice in underserved populations; 2) Recruit and train a qualified diverse cadre of nurses (predoctoral and postdoctoral) to conduct interdisciplinary research using informatics and precision medicine approaches to advance health equity and facilitate evidence-based practice in underserved populations; 3) Enhance the knowledge and skills of predoctoral and postdoctoral nurse trainees in the integration of theories and methods from informatics and precision medicine to advance health equity and facilitate evidence-based practice in underserved populations; and 4) Evaluate the training program structures, processes, and outcomes on an ongoing and annual basis. We have adapted the National Institute of Nursing Research Center Director's Logic Model for Sustainability to organize the RHeaDI Evaluation Plan which integrates traditional methods with data science-based approaches including topic modeling and network analysis. The need for nurse scientists trained to achieve the focus of the RHeaDI aims is greater than ever and Columbia Nursing with its exceptional resources is uniquely qualified to lead this innovative training program.
New trends in Big Data and Precision Medicine require the training of nurse scientists who can advance nursing science and health equity through research that applies these methods in the context of underserved, disadvantaged, and diverse populations.
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