: The NRSA Conference is held annually in affiliation with the Annual Research Meeting of the Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy for persons supported by the NRSA programs of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Bureau of Health Professions of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and others. This application is being submitted in light of the successes of the previous 8 years of the NRSA Conference. Changes in the health care system and in clinical practice demand that future leaders be educated in a multi-disciplinary fashion, that they develop skills in teamwork and communication, and that they be prepared to make important theoretical, conceptual, and empirical contributions to their fields. The NRSA Conference provides a unique forum to enhance pre-doctoral and postdoctoral trainees' abilities to take on the complex and changing roles of health services and primary care researchers. It is the only conference to bring together these trainees from programs across the United States. This unique conference creates a forum that fosters collaborative relationships across institutions and disciplines, offers trainees the opportunity to present their research to their peers, and provides to trainees an opportunity to interact with experts from the top programs in health services and primary care research. The Conference features podium sessions with oral presentations, a lunch session with guest speakers, and a poster session and reception. The conference program is formulated by a planning committee of faculty from NRSA program institutions, along with coordinating center staff. Successful collaborations with AHRQ's Annual Child Health Services Research Meeting and NIMH's Annual Trainees Meeting increase opportunities for interaction and expand the disciplinary reach of the conference. Long-term goals of the conference include extending participation to trainees supported by other agencies, enhancing the program with career development sessions, adding formal opportunities for trainee-faculty interaction, and streamlining conference administration through an automated system of on line registration and abstract submission. ? ?
