CHER Mentorship Opportunities
Research Training to Promote Health in Vulnerable Populations (T32NR007100)
The Center for Health Equity Research is pleased to be awarded funding from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2014 to support pre- and post-doctoral research training in health equity and health disparities research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. This grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) provides funding for tuition, stipend, and other expenses for three pre-doctoral and four post-doctoral fellows preparing for independent programs of research in the area of health promotion for vulnerable women, children, and families. Interested applicants please contact the Principal Investigator, Marilyn (Lynn) S. Sommers, PhD, RN, FAAN at ssommer@nursing.upenn.edu for further information. See the attached information sheet for more information on nature of the fellowship experience.
Summary of Specific Aims
Compelling evidence continues to accumulate that vulnerable populations such as minorities and people living in poverty are more likely to have shorter life expectancies and an increased prevalence of a variety of health compromising conditions as compared to other segments of the population. This competing renewal of the Institutional National Research Service Award at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) School of Nursing (SON) builds on the highly successful pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research training program directed by Dr. Janet Deatrick and co-directed by Drs. Loretta Sweet Jemmott and Ann O'Sullivan during 2006 to 2008, and by Dr. Susan Gennaro prior to 2006.
In the past ten years, Penn nursing scientists who are experts in partnering with vulnerable populations to create and test culturally-competent, theoretically-based, and developmentally-appropriate community interventions to reduce health disparities in vulnerable women, children, and families have guided research training at the SON. We are implementing an expanded research training program that builds on the maturation of existing SON scientists using community participatory research methods, and capitalizes on the addition to the Penn faculty of senior investigators who will assist trainees to use novel, bio-behavioral methods of inquiry. To this end, trainees will learn to address novel questions, use innovative approaches and measurement strategies, and tackle the critical issues associated with health disparities from new perspectives. The Research Training Program to Promote Health in Vulnerable Populations is directed by Dr. Marilyn Sommers and will retain the strengths of co-directors, Drs. Jemmott and Deatrick. The current five years of the project responds to the need for scientists trained in cutting-edge scientific methods that allow them to initiate innovative lines of inquiry relevant to vulnerable women, children, and families. The training program is housed in the SON’s Center for Health Equity Research (CHER), which has as a primary goal: To improve health among disempowered, marginalized, vulnerable, and under-represented populations through research and training, thereby narrowing the gap in health disparities. We define vulnerable populations as those groups of people with a demographic (such as age/race/ethnicity/education), economic, illness, disability, or residential status that places them at risk for health outcomes disparities (individual or community health outcomes) and/or health care disparities (access to and quality of care). The insight that these two aspects of health disparities are distinct concepts will allow us to focus on individual, family, and community health consequences amenable to participatory and bio-behavioral interventions as well as studying concepts within the Institute of Medicine’s definition of health disparities (racial or ethnic differences in the quality of health care that are not due to access-related factors or clinical needs, preferences, and appropriateness of intervention).
If the ambitious goal of eliminating health disparities is to be met, there is a critical need to produce nurse scientists who can translate issues identified within the community to culturally appropriate, bio-behavioral, descriptive, and intervention studies pertinent to reducing health disparities. Our primary objective is to prepare such scientists to promote health in vulnerable women, children, and families. The training grant will provide research training to 3 new pre-doctoral students annually for 2 years of training each and 4 new post-doctoral fellows for a period up to 2 years each. The specific aims of this proposal are to train nurse scientists to:
1. Study multi-system level factors that contribute to health disparities among vulnerable women, children, and families.
2. Develop expertise in cutting edge, culturally appropriate, interdisciplinary research strategies with the potential to identify and reduce health disparities, with a particular focus on bio-behavioral, descriptive, and intervention methods.
3. Collaborate with a diverse group of interdisciplinary scientists, community leaders, and anticipated beneficiaries of interventions in a mutually instructive fashion to promote health in vulnerable women, children, and families.
4. Develop values, critical thinking, communication skills, and research expertise that address the power differentials that create, sustain, or augment health disparities in vulnerable populations.
Specific program objectives for both pre- and post-doctoral fellows are extrapolated from the specific aims:
1. Conduct research for advancement of nursing knowledge and practice in the area of vulnerable women, children, and families, with a focus on health disparities and health equity research.
2. Provide leadership in the research, education, and practice mission with respect to vulnerable women, children, and families.
3. Design a plan for continuing scholarly and career development in the area of health disparities and health equity of vulnerable women, children, and families.
4. Integrate nursing knowledge within the broad social, economic and political contexts to improve the health of vulnerable women, children, and families.
5. Display well honed aptitude for intellectual critique, scholarly writing, collaboration, and developing grant applications.
6. Participate in interdisciplinary research teams that study phenomena of relevance to vulnerable women, children, and families.
Criteria for Appointment of Pre-Doctoral Fellows
The four most important criteria for appointment to a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship associated with a T32 institutional training grant are:
• Match with the overall goals and objectives of the training grant and affiliated Center;
• Match with the T32 and Center-affiliated faculty advisor;
• Scholarly potential for nursing science inquiry that has a high impact;
• Commitment to a research career in a research intensive environment.
Candidates for Fellowship must be first accepted to the PhD Program to be considered. Candidates for Fellowship will be competitively evaluated based on the above criteria. We value a diverse population of Pre-Doctoral Fellows with a strong commitment to nursing science, focused motivation, and an academic record that demonstrates a high level of intellectual achievement and curiosity.
Criteria for Appointment of Post-Doctoral Fellows
The five most important criteria for appointment to a Post-Doctoral Fellowship associated with a T32 institutional training grant are:
• Match with the overall goals and objectives of the training grant and affiliated Center;
• Match with the T32 and Center-affiliated faculty advisor;
• Scholarly potential for nursing science inquiry that has a high impact;
• Commitment to a research career in a research intensive environment;
• Scholarly productivity during and/or after the research doctoral training.
Candidates for Fellowship will be competitively evaluated based on the above criteria. We value a diverse population of Post-Doctoral Fellows with a strong commitment to nursing science, focused motivation, and an academic record that demonstrates a high level of intellectual achievement and curiosity.