Rural and underserved regions have not been well served by traditional academic research models. This has exacerbated health disparities within these regions, as populations have not participated in or benefited from leading edge innovations in clinical care, prevention1 and health systems improvement. The goal of this multi-institutional, collaborative planning grant proposal from the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center and its Consortium partners is to initiate a comprehensive strategic planning process directed toward developing the necessary infrastructure to carry out high quality translational and clinical research in rural and underserved regions. The planning process will focus on assessing capabilities, and barriers to creating a dedicated program for graduate and post-graduate clinical and translational science training program specifically tailored to overcoming the challenges of conducting research in underserved communities and across the rural-urban continuum. We propose a series of assessment and planning activities conducted by a faculty/research team assembled from the Consortium with the following specific aims ? 1. Assess the existing clinical and translational science program infrastructure and training infrastructure of the Consortium. ? 2. Explore curriculum opportunities within each Consortium member focusing on the integration of clinical and translational science ? 3. Develop a detailed strategic planning process to guide and facilitate further development of a comprehensive Infrastructure Improvement Plan for the Consortium, leading to a U-54 application ? 4. Design and develop a curriculum of training for MSPH in clinical and translational science. ? 5. Develop a framework for implementing and helping trainees obtain the MSPH degree in clinical and translational science across the Consortium. ? ? ?
