The broad, long term goal of the proposed training program is to strengthen the existing informatics research and training activities of the Division of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHI) and the Graduate Program in Biomedical and Health Informatics (BHI) at the University of Washington (UW) by adding a research training pathway and funding additional trainees for the existing pre-doctoral training option. The primary facilities and resources currently available for informatics research training include a long standing interdisciplinary informatics research program and a recently established graduate program. The informatics research program has a history of substantial contribution in the following research areas: a) Structural Informatics b) Clinical Informatics, c) Knowledge Retrieval, Representation, Analysis, and Application, d) Bioinformatics, e) Emerging Technologies in Healthcare. In addition there is a core expertise in Health Technology Evaluation and two emerging areas of research: a) Population Based Informatics, and b) Patient-Centered Health Services. The BHI Graduate Program is an interdisciplinary program in the School of Medicine funded by UW that includes faculty participants from across the Health Sciences (Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Pharmacy, Dentistry) as well as from the Information School and Computer Science and Engineering. The interdisciplinary faculty currently actively participate in the governance structures of the BHI Graduate Program including Admissions, Curriculum and faculty search committees. The UW provides ongoing funding for: a) an administrative core, b) faculty leadership and direction of the graduate program c) four new faculty positions (one each joint with Computer Science, Information School, Public Health, and Medical Education), and d) funding for stipends for Masters students. The faculty have developed and implemented: a) a modular tailored informatics core curriculum and electives, b) research training infrastructure, and c) an infrastructure for mentorship and oversight of trainees. The first Masters students matriculated Fall 2000 and it is anticipated the first Doctoral students will be matriculating Fall 2002. The training proposal will fund: a) stipends for 4 new pre-doctoral (PhD) students per year (training duration 3 years) who would enroll in the existing graduate program, b) a formal research program for 4 new trainees per year (training duration 2 years) based on the existing modular tailored informatics curriculum and research training infrastructure (in areas listed above and building on research mentorship infrastructure). The research training program proposed includes pathways for post-doctoral trainees (PhD and MD, 2-3 new trainees per year) and post masters trainees (in Nursing, Engineering, Computer Science, and Library Science especially Health Sciences Librarians, 1-2 new post-masters trainees per year). The co-directors of the proposed informatics research training program are: a) the current deputy director of the BHI Graduate Program, b) the director of the BHI Graduate Program, and c) the head of DBHI. New and existing committees will provide oversight and guidance. The training grant funds will provide vital support for strengthening and expanding the UW BHI research and training programs.
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