Pediatric Injury Research Training Program

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary: This is a proposal for the renewal of our Pediatric Injury Research Training Program. Our goal is to create and sustain a corps of interdisciplinary-trained investigators who will conduct rigorous research on ways to reduce the toll from injuries. This application and our training program uniquely address pediatric injury and proposes an innovative partnership with the University of Washington Center for Indigenous Health. Our goal is to both increase the number of indigenous injury research investigators and to expand the research on injuries among native children and youth. The specific aims of this training program are to: (1) Recruit and train 3 outstanding post-doctoral fellows annually for a two year program from a national applicant pool with attention to diversity in clinical and academic backgrounds, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity and gender, and specific recruitment of indigenous post-doctoral fellows. (2) Educate fellows with state of the art and well balanced curricula in injury control and theory along with methodological skills in research, including community-based participatory research (especially for individuals who have typically not been trained in injury research) and an introduction to non-clinical disciplines important to interdisciplinary research. (3) Provide an enriched learning environment with highly engaged mentors who provide practical and relevant research experience and serve as role models for trainees as teachers, researchers, and clinicians, and who assist trainees with placement beyond the trainee program to support continued career development as investigators. To accomplish this, there are 4 training components: 1. Formal didactic courses to fill gaps in prior academic training to conduct research in injury control and to provide exposure to disciplines relevant to injury research. These have been adjusted this year to better meet the needs of our fellows, and to include deeper education on health disparities and equity. 2. Attendance at fellowship-focused seminars including weekly small group research seminars, a 12-week Biomedical Integrity in Research Seminar Series, formal training in scientific writing, and grant writing. 3. In depth research training in an active, on-going research program at one of the training units with mentoring from an interdisciplinary group of faculty at the UW and its collaborating sites. 4. Development and implementation of research projects in injury research, supervised by one or more of the core faculty mentors, to achieve the following goals: (1) To develop the research skills necessary to initiate a career as an independent investigator in injury control research. (2) To become expert in a focused area of pediatric injury control research and begin to develop a trajectory of research on which to build a successful career as an extramurally funded investigator. (3) Become competent in conducting culturally appropriate and competent research.This application and our training program uniquely address pediatric injury (scientific focus) and it remains the only comprehensive interdisciplinary pediatric injury research training program in the nation that addresses injury and violence of all types.