Project Grant T32NR021171

NURSE LEADS: TRAINING IN NURSE-LED MODELS OF CARE ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH - ABSTRACT SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (SDOH), WHICH ARE THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE BORN, GROW, LIVE, AND AGE, CONTRIBUTE TO UP TO 80% OF POPULATION HEALTH AND DRIVE HEALTH INEQUITIES. NURSES, AS THE LARGEST AND MOST TRUSTED SEGMENT OF THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE, ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO LEAD NATIONAL EFFORTS ADDRESSING SDOH. HOWEVER, NURSE SCIENTISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERATING EVIDENCE FOR CARE MODELS HAVE NOT TYPICALLY RECEIVED SPECIALIZED RESEARCH TRAINING IN ADDRESSING SDOH. ADDITIONALLY, A LACK OF DIVERSITY IN THE NURSING WORKFORCE LIMITS THE PROFESSION'S ABILITY TO ENGAGE POPULATIONS MOST AFFECTED BY HEALTH INEQUITIES. OUR PROPOSED TRAINING PROGRAM, NURSE LEADS (TRAINING IN NURSE-LED MODELS OF CARE ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH), AIMS TO OFFER INNOVATIVE TRAINING TO NURSE SCIENTISTS AT THE INTERSECTION OF HEALTH EQUITY, SDOH, AND NURSE-LED MODELS OF CARE. TRAINEES WILL DEVELOP SKILLS IN DIGITAL HEALTH, ADVANCED ANALYTICS, ENGAGEMENT SCIENCE, AND MULTISECTOR PARTNERSHIP AS ESSENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND TOOLS FOR PROMOTING HEALTH EQUITY. SPECIFICALLY, NURSE LEADS AIMS TO: 1) RECRUIT AND RETAIN PRE- AND POSTDOCTORAL TRAINEES (N=10) FROM GROUPS UNDERREPRESENTED IN NURSING SCIENCE (> 75% OF TRAINEES) FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH TRAINING IN HEALTH EQUITY, SDOH, AND NURSE-LED MODELS OF CARE; 2) SUPPORT TRAINEES IN CONTRIBUTING TO EMERGING THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES FOR DEVELOPING AND SCALING NURSE-LED MODELS OF CARE ADDRESSING SDOH; 3) DEVELOP TRAINEE METHODOLOGICAL EXPERTISE IN LEVERAGING DIGITAL HEALTH AND ADVANCED ANALYTICS FOR CONDUCTING CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH EVALUATING NURSE-LED MODELS OF CARE ADDRESSING SDOH; 4) AND APPLY ENGAGEMENT SCIENCE AND MULTISECTOR PARTNERSHIPS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NURSE-LED MODELS OF CARE ADDRESSING SDOH. DUKE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING (DUSON) WILL PARTNER WITH TWO MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS WITHOUT RESEARCH DOCTORATE TRAINING PROGRAMS IN NURSING, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY (NCCU) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO (UTEP), TO ATTRACT NURSES FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS. TRAINEES WILL BE SUPPORTED BY MENTORING TEAMS THAT INCLUDE MENTORS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS AND EXPERTS ADDRESSING SDOH. TRAINEES WILL PARTICIPATE IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, MONTHLY NURSE LEADS SEMINARS, THREE COURSES INVOLVING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PRACTICUMS, TAILORED LEARNING EXPERIENCES DRAWING FROM SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, AND COURSES FROM PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS AT DUKE, AND TRAINING IN THE RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH. ADDITIONALLY, POSTDOCTORAL TRAINEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE PILOT RESEARCH CONTRIBUTING TO A NURSE-LED MODEL OF CARE ADDRESSING SDOH AND MENTOR PREDOCTORAL TRAINEES. THIS NOVEL TRAINING WILL ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF NURSE SCIENTISTS FROM DIVERSE AND UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS TO PROMOTE HEALTH EQUITY AND CREATE NOVEL, EVIDENCE-BASED MODELS OF CARE ADDRESSING SDOH.