The U.S. is undergoing rapid macrosocial transformations; the population is growing older and becoming more diverse. An aging population needs more care; the frequency and burden of multiple chronic conditions (MCC) are rapidly increasing. The recent health paradigm shift initiated by the Precision Medicine Initiative, along with significant advances in computational science, artificial intelligence, and mobile/wearable technology, now offers important opportunities to advance self-management science through the development of strategies tailored to the individual level. Based not only on genetics but also psychosocial phenotypic characteristics, the current pace of social and technological change demands a comprehensive, structured, transdisciplinary approach to self-management research training for the next generation of nurse scientists. The University of Texas at Austin?s School of Nursing is uniquely positioned to foster future nurse scientists who can develop effective personalized interventions addressing the complex needs of self- management for people with MCC. Located at the ?epicenter of the health technology hub? in Austin, Texas, within one of the most vibrant transdisciplinary health research environments in the nation, we are well positioned to train future scientists in precision health methodologies addressing MCC-focused self- management science. The school currently operates two strong centers for excellence focusing on transdisciplinary research in self-management and health promotion for underserved populations. We also have established collaborative agreements with four active T32 training programs (population science, interdisciplinary neuroscience, biomedical engineering and medical informatics, and big data science) at UT- Austin to facilitate high impact, transdisciplinary research training for all trainees in these four programs. To capitalize on our momentum of collaborative research and maximize our educational resources, we propose a new PhD training program (NIH T32) to provide future nurse scientists (13 pre-doctoral and 6 post-doctoral trainees over 5 years) with critical skills and knowledge to develop and implement innovative, effective and personalized interventions for populations suffering from MCCs. The specific objectives of this transdisciplinary training program are: (1) To provide trainees with cutting edge knowledge and methods for constructing precise, personalized interventions for people with MCCs; (2) to utilize resources throughout our university and community to ensure training across disciplines to develop creative, successful clinical investigators who will make a major impact on advancing self- management science through precision health methodology; (3) to elevate the existing strengths of the university?s collegial, interactive, interdisciplinary research environment by creating a national model for training nurse scientists with precision health expertise.
Managing multiple chronic illness is difficult task for everyone and often one size does not fit well. Given the rapid social and technological changes, a comprehensive, structured transdisciplinary approach to research training is becoming particularly important for preparing the next generation of nurse scientists. We propose to create a national model for training nurse scientists who will lead developing personalized intervention for people suffering multiple chronic conditions.
