TRAINING CORE

University Of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro NC

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Abstract

RESEARCH TRAINING CORE The development of research expertise is a complex process that begins with formal education and continues throughout one's career with self-study, workshops and other professional development activities. The proposed Research Training Core will facilitate the professional development of Junior Faculty, predoctoral, masters and undergraduate trainees by providing the fundamental research training required to develop health disparities researchers; and that will assist in the translation of research knowledge into the development and implementation of effective interventions for communities with health disparities. The impact of a mentoring relationship on successful attainment of career goals has received increasing recognition in recent years. Mentorship offers tangible benefits, such as expert individualized critique of work, and less tangible benefits, such as endorsed opportunities to network with senior people in the field. The mentoring relationship also offers the mentor benefits, including inspiration and fresh ideas, personal fulfillment, and opportunities for collaboration. It is well documented that racial and ethnic minorities with a health disparities background are underrepresented as research scientists. Therefore, it is imperative that we train minority scholars in the area of health disparities research, for several reasons: (1) racial and ethnic minority health care professionals are significantly more likely than their white peers to serve minority and medically underserved communities, thereby helping to improve problems of limited minority access to care (Institute of Medicine, 2003, 2004; LaViest, 2002); (2) diversity in health professional training settings assists in efforts to improve the crosscultural training and cultural competencies of all trainees; (3) interaction among students from diverse backgrounds in training settings helps students to challenge assumptions and broaden perspectives regarding racial, ethnic and cultural differences (Cohen, 2003; IOM, 2004; Whitla et al., 2003); (4) minority scientist and researchers bring a wide range of cultural perspectives and experiences to research teams, which increases the likelihood that sociocultural issues influencing health outcomes will be addressed in the research design and study questions (IOM, 1999); and (5) minority investigators have proven valuable in increasing the number of minorities recruited to participate in research. Thus, developing a program that recruits and prepares minorities in research is imperative in narrowing the health disparities gap within communities (Beech & Goodman, 2004; Sullivan Report, 2004; Institute of Medicine, 2004). The proposed program will foster the development of junior faculty members, pre-doctoral candidates, and graduate and undergraduate students to conduct health disparities research by mentorship and tailored educational and practical experiences. Level-appropriate capacity-building training courses and workshops will be held for all levels. By doing so, this program will facilitate the development of minority health researchers, per the RFA priority, the legislation authorizing the EXPORT Center, and the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, the Pew Commission on Health Professions and the Sullivan Report. A detailed description of each research training component can be found below.