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Abstract
Pressing community needs to improve mental and physical health, decrease health disparities and lower health care cost burdens are increasing demand for mental health related research and practice collaborations across community sectors and health disciplines. Academic medical centers can develop and implement novel educational models that enable faculty and trainees to partner with community agencies to address specific community-identified needs in these areas while also advancing science. This manuscript presents the design and results of a clinical research fellowship program that integrates research trainees with preceptors in community-based agencies. The Rochester Program of Research and Innovation in Disparities Education (PRIDE) brought the University of Rochester Medical Center's (URMC) Clinical Psychology training and research faculty leaders together with community-based, including faith-based, health and human service agency leaders in Rochester, NY. This article details how research institutions can, with modest grant resources, align pre-existing psychology training structures to learn from community partners and to advance community-based research opportunities in the context of mental health and medical education. We discuss implications and challenges of developing health professional training programs with foci on mental and medical health disparities as well as community engaged research in health promotion, illness prevention and effective community-based treatment options.
Keywords'. Community-based research, fellowship, mental health disparities
Introduction
Despite increasing attention to developing community research partnerships to improve health and reduce health disparities, competencies supporting these aims remain underemphasized in health professional education programs. Many medical researchers continue to believe that collaboration interferes with science's pace as training paradigms emphasize autonomy of the scientist's judgment and vision (1). Academic medical centers can move these norms to more effectively address community health concerns and create ethnically and racially diverse research institutions (2). This paper describes the integration of educational goals within an academic health system's clinical psychology program to promote community research collaborations. Implications as the Program of Research and Innovation in Disparities Education (PRIDE) expanded recruiting to medical students and family medicine residents within the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) are discussed.
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