Interdisciplinary Population Health Science Training: Linking Multilevel Forces Across Time

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Minnesota Population Center (MPC) at the University of Minnesota (U of MN) requests five more years of support for its interdisciplinary training program in Population Health Science. Rationale: Effectively addressing complex public health problems requires training a new generation of scientists who view biological, social, economic, spatial, and policy factors as interacting over multiple time scales to shape population health. Unfortunately, training programs usually prioritize etiologic research over investigations of effective solutions, and most new scientists are trained only in the biological, social, or health care system influences on disease; few are trained to integrate all three. Objectives: We seek continued support for a pre- and postdoc training program in population health science that produces scientists who understand complex health problems and health disparities as resulting from multiple and interacting layers of influence that unfold over chronological, biological, and historical time. Design: The program features cross-training in (a) the biology and etiology of disease and (b) social sciences and policy contexts that shape disease. The program includes required coursework (for predocs only) in population health science, population modeling, and the responsible conduct of research; independent and collaborative research supervised by interdisciplinary teams of faculty mentors; required Scholar Development Meetings, workshops, and participation in interdisciplinary population health conferences; and intensive professional socialization designed to integrate trainees from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and prepare them to have outstanding careers as population health scientists. Trainee Outcomes: We train population health scientists to integrate knowledge, theory, and tools from multiple disciplines to conduct cutting edge research on the intersecting biological and social factors that shape health and to produce novel solutions to the nation’s most pressing public health issues. Appointments: We request five predoc (3-year) and three postdoc (2-year) training slots; this represents an increase in training slots from the previous project period (from four predoc and two postdoc slots). Our request for more training slots is based on the extraordinary success of our program in the first project period. Leadership: The program is co-directed by population health scholars John Robert Warren (Sociology) and Theresa Osypuk (Epidemiology & Community Health). They are supported by an internal Executive Committee, an external Advisory Board of nationally recognized population health scientists, and an outstanding team of 49 faculty mentors from five colleges and twelve disciplinary departments. Progress: In the first five years of the program, we successfully placed all alumni trainees in population health research positions; our trainees were extremely successful in publishing, competing for research funds; and developing identities as interdisciplinary population health researchers.