UAB T32 In Comparative Effectiveness Research

University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham AL

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose a UAB T32 program in Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) to support four CER Trainees (2 cohorts of 2 trainees each). The T32 training will extend our very successful T32 in Health Services &Outcomes Research, with facilitation by the UAB AHRQ-funded Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) and our NIH-funded Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS). Our research and training base is drawn from across five UAB Schools (Medicine, Public Health, Health Professions, Dentistry, and Nursing) including 26 Primary CER Mentors and 13 Associate Mentors who have already mentored over 125 postdoctoral trainees in CER. Training capacity is enhanced by our unique University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers (UWIRC) Program, including the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education and our affiliated VA Research Enhancement Award Program. Our overall goal for this training grant is to build upon the momentum of our ongoing CER research and training and to expand our training capacity and the vibrant intellectual milieu for CER at UAB. Our specific aims are to:1) Continue to draw a diverse group of T32 trainees from throughout the large UAB pool of well-qualified postdoctoral candidates (15 currently identified);2) Expand our didactic CER curriculum and multi-disciplinary training in the following ways: (a) provide candidates with a choice from an MSPH in Pharmacoepidemiology/CER or Outcomes Research, to be complemented by CER conferences, seminars, book reviews, and mini-symposia;and (b) enrich hands-on training by offering participants a choice from nine novel elective short rotations involving key CER stakeholder and past collaborators, including experiences in an Evidence-based Practice Center;VA, CMS, and CDC databases;managed care and pharma outcomes groups;a pharmacy school and research organization;and a risk adjustment methods group;and 3) Enhance our highly successful mentor training and mentorship review programs and increase engagement of CER faculty through a structured mentoring training and evaluation program. A UAB T32 grant will allow us to expand our CER capacity for early career development, to recruit and train additional post-doctoral candidates with significant potential to become highly successful CER researchers, and to mentor them toward becoming academic researchers at UAB and nationally.