Early Career-CeNtered EnricHment to AdvaNce Research Careers in Maternal HEalth -ENHANCE-M

Improvements maternal health will require rigorous research methods and the inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in clinical trials. Early Career-CeNtered EnricHment to AdvaNce Research Careers in Maternal HEalth (ENHANCE-M) will identify and train a diverse group of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-stage investigators with a commitment to a career in maternal health research. Trainees will be recruited from the Medical College of Wisconsin and partnering institutions. The curriculum will be grounded in clinical research methodologies and community engagement. Practices will include hands-on, team-based learning, leveraging MCW U54 research projects with a focus on clinical trials design and management, and SDOH that affect maternal morbidity and mortality, recruitment of diverse participants, thriving and resilience in academia, grant writing, and mentor engagement and networking. Our overarching goals are to train a diverse group of investigators in community engaged research and in clinical trials involving pregnant women. The specific aims of the training program are: Aim 1: Recruit a diverse group of investigators that includes graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and ESI to participate in a 24-month maternal health clinical research program focused on community engaged research and clinical trials. Aim 2: Implement and evaluate the 24-month maternal health clinical research program. Intermediate benchmarks of success include creation of and adherence to an individualized development plan (IDP) and set expectations for numbers of presentations, publications, and grant applications each year. Long-term benchmarks for success include for at least 30% of graduate students and postdocs to obtain remain in research-related career within 3 to 5 years of exiting the program, and for at least 30% of our ESI faculty to obtain extramural funding.