title: A new model for postdoctoral training: the Nursing Postdoctoral Program in Cancer and Health Disparities.
abstract: The University of Massachusetts Boston and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center joined forces in 2009 to create a Postdoctoral Nursing Research Fellowship in Cancer and Health Disparities. In combining the resources of a large university and a research-intensive service institution, the postdoctoral program provides a new model for preparing nurse scientists to conduct independent research that advances nursing knowledge and interdisciplinary understanding of complex health issues. The multifaceted program consists of educational programming, research training, and career planning components. Additionally, each fellow is assigned a nurse scientist mentor and interdisciplinary co-mentor. The mentors support the fellows with scholarly activities and research training and help the fellows craft individualized career plans, including proposals for postfellowship career development research. In this article, the postdoctoral program leaders describe the program structure, strategies used to recruit minority and nonminority candidates, and data describing program outcomes and share lessons learned and recommendations for organizations that may be interested in establishing similar postdoctoral fellowships at their institutions.
authors.affiliation: Nursing and Patient Care Services, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Nursing and Patient Care Services, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Electronic address: pat_reid_ponte@dfci.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reid Ponte
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Hayman
authors.affiliation: Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Donna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA; Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cooley
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships / Q000458:organization & administration*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D017145:Models, Educational; D009369:Neoplasms; D015402:Nursing Education Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation
keywords: Cancer health disparities; Nursing research; Oncology nursing; Postdoctoral research fellowships; Research development