Community-Based Participatory Research Targeting the Medically Underserved

Posted by on April 6, 2009

Apply by May 15 for NIH Summer Institute on Community-Based Participatory Research Targeting the Medically Underserved. The institute takes place August 2-7, 2009 in New Orleans and has been designed for community-academic partner teams.   For more information visit http://conferences.thehillgroup.com/si2009/

Course Objectives

The NIH Summer Institute will address essential conceptual, methodological, and practical issues inherent in planning and conducting research on health promotion, disease prevention, and health disparities that is conducted in partnership between communities and researchers and targets medically underserved areas (MUAs) and medically underserved populations (MUPs) as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This research may include intervention research (i.e., quasi-experimental research projects that seek to influence preventive behaviors, treatment adherences, complementary behaviors, and related attitudes and beliefs). Natural experiments also may fall under the interventions rubric. Examples include, and are not limited to promotion of physical activity-friendly neighborhoods; tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse prevention among youth; a community-led action plan for cancer, hypertension and cardiovascular disease prevention and control in minority populations; establishing safer work practices among agricultural workers in rural areas; nutrition and reducing childhood obesity; HIV/AIDS and STD prevalence among young adults; promoting infant mental health; and reducing health disparities.

The relevance of such interventions to the NIH public health goal of improving health outcomes in medically underserved areas and with medically underserved populations has been outlined in PA-08-074 (R01): Community Participation in Research; PAR-08-075 (R01): Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved; and PAR-08-076 (R21): Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved. The Institute is intended for investigators who wish to develop NIH grant applications for research targeting the medically underserved. Faculty will include established investigators from social work and other fields and who will provide instruction based on their expertise and own successful projects. The goal is for each participant to develop an NIH R21 or R01 under the above mechanisms.

We are encouraging participation by both Investigators and the Community Partners.