Over the past 32 years, Brown University?s AHRQ-supported Institutional T32 Training Program has developed over 60 interdisciplinary and highly productive pre and post-doctoral health services researchers. Over 75% of former trainees are employed in faculty, government or private sector research positions; over 65% of trainees completing the program more than two years ago have been PI or project directors of externally funded research projects. Our last two awards provided support for pre-doctoral trainees in health services research, and we capitalized on that opportunity to successfully recruit talented students who have now become promising health services researchers. We attribute our success in both post- and pre-doctoral training to: 1) attracting and recruiting high quality, diverse applicants; 2) an individualized training experience to meet trainee goals; 3) a mentoring strategy consistent with multidisciplinary work; 4) an organizational culture of synergy between training and research missions; 5) an extensive research portfolio (exceeding $40 million/year in Public Health); and 6) over 30 multidisciplinary faculty committed to pre and post-doctoral training.
Specific aims of this training program are: 1) To recruit highly qualified and socio-demographically diverse post- and pre-doctoral trainees; 2) To develop scientists experienced in the use of state-of-the-art health services research methods, with specific foci in evidence-based medicine, comparative effectiveness research, chronic disease and aging, etc.; 3) To develop scientists skilled in the communication of scientific knowledge who are able to work in multidisciplinary teams in academia, government and the private sector; 4) To provide didactic as well as hands on supervised experience in research by matching trainees with externally funded research teams; and, 5) To develop scientists equipped with the leadership skills to improve health care delivery and influence health policy. Relevance to Public Health: Our training program aims to produce health services researchers who have the leadership skills and methodologic expertise to inform policy, improve health system performance, and, promote better population health outcomes.
Major changes in health care policy and delivery system reform make it essential to have well trained researchers operating in academic, government and private sector settings who understand the factors shaping these trends and who have the skill to evaluate their impact and design alternative approaches.
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