A multiinstitutional, multidisciplinary model for developing and teaching translational research in health disparities.
Health disparities may affect any person in any community in the world, resulting from a multitude of factors including socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, environment, and genetics. The impact of health disparities is felt by affected individuals, their families, communities, and the greater health care system. There is a critical need to increase health disparities research activities. This may be achieved by expanding and strengthening the training, education and career development of motivated clinicians, physicians and basic scientists, engaging them in clinical and translational research. Translational research relies on collaboration across disciplines, facilitating the dissemination and transfer of knowledge to populations for the overall improvement of health while decreasing the economic burden of health care. The University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC), Schools of Health Professions and Medicine joint initiatives, Clinical Research Education and Career Development (CRECD) and Hispanics in Research Capability (HiREC) programs, convened health disparities experts, faculty and scholars from multiple disciplines, cultural backgrounds and institutions. Together, they created a model for teaching translational research in health disparities that spans disciplines without boundaries.
School of Health Professions, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. estela.estape@upr.edu
Estela
E
Estape
Lourdes E Soto de
LE
Laurido
Magda
M
Shaheen
Alexander
A
Quarshie
Walter
W
Frontera
Mary Helen
MH
Mays
Rosanne
R
Harrigan
Richard
R
White
D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000639:trends; D003479:Curriculum; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D058025:Interdisciplinary Studies; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016730:Program Development; D012107:Research Design; D012923:Social Class; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000193:education*; D014495:Universities