The Postdoctoral Research Training in Child Health Equity Program is designed to prepare M.D. and Ph.D. postdoctoral fellows with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to conduct child health equity research with pediatric populations with a focus on respiratory, cardiovascular/metabolic, or sleep health, and/or related lifestyle behaviors. The program will prepare postdoctoral trainees who will obtain a strong background in child health equity research methods and skills to develop impactful, rigorous community-engaged research to reduce health disparities. The program will integrate: 1) team-based research mentorship from investigators who have expertise in the targeted areas of focus, 2) rigorous didactic training that integrates consideration of child health equity in all aspects of the research process, 3) training in state-of-the-art clinical research and community focused methodologies, and 4) professional development opportunities to promote academic careers in child health equity. The Postdoctoral Research Training in Child Health Equity Program will allow fellows to emerge as innovative and productive independent investigators through (i) intensive mentorship in an apprentice model by expert faculty mentors (ii) cutting-edge and foundational didactics, and (iii) formulation of an independent research project and grant proposal.

Postdoctoral fellowships typically involve two full-time research training years, with a minimum of 75% protected time for research. M.D. applicants may be able to integrate the fellowship as a more in-depth research component within an established clinical fellowship program at Brown (applicants will need to separately be accepted into those training programs).

Mentorship Training and Evaluation

Mentors include Ph.D.s and M.D.s with a breadth of research interests and transdisciplinary expertise from pediatrics and associated specialties, behavioral science, and public health. The program embraces a mentorship team model where fellows work closely with two mentors to develop content expertise in child health equity in one of the health conditions of focus and methodological skills in one of three areas: qualitative/mixed-methods approaches, implementation science and community engagement, or health advocacy. Fellows will develop annual goals with their research mentors and progress will be reviewed twice a year with the fellow’s mentorship committee.

Academic Programming/Training:

Fellows will receive training from faculty with expertise in methodologies (e.g., implementation science, qualitative research, specific biostatistics analyses) and designs (e.g., observational, experimental, intervention-based), focusing on prevention, identification of risk/resource/protective factors, intervention/treatment research, and/or dissemination and implementation, consistent with their research goals. The program leverages content areas from pediatrics, public health, and behavioral science, allowing for a large base of trainee colleagues, faculty experts, didactics and support. Key features in academic programming include:

1. Core competencies centering around fundamental knowledge in conducting child health equity research including models and frameworks considering how racial context influence empirical questions and study design, to the development of projects that apply the NIMHD framework to address contributors to pediatric health disparities.
2. Further development of content expertise in respiratory health, cardiovascular/metabolic or sleep health with application of child health equity.
3. Research methods relevant to pediatric health equity research with rigorous foundational training in research design and statistics, grant-writing, responsible conduct of research, professional development, and cutting- edge methodological approaches.

Background and Requirements:

Fellows will have an M.D. with training in a related specialty (e.g., pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine, psychiatry) or Ph.D. in a behavioral health-related field (psychology, public health/epidemiology, sociology). Physicians with relevant residency training or doctoral level behavioral, social, or public health scientists who are pursuing research areas focused on child health equity related to pediatrics, respiratory conditions, cardiovascular/metabolic and sleep health. Completion of all requirements for Ph.D., Psy.D., DrPH or M.D. from a relevant doctorate program and completion of a psychology internship or medical residency for those with clinical degrees.

Application Process

Applications should include:

• A current resume or CV, including awards, honors, and publications
• Personal statement of up to two pages describing the reason for your interest in this program, including your career goals and how these can be facilitated by acceptance into the fellowship, how your past experiences, including prior research and training, influenced your decision to apply, and a description of your specific interest in child health equity research.
• Two letters of recommendation. The names of two people who will submit a letter of support on behalf of the applicant (the letter of support must be emailed directly by the letter writer to MBesselaarAbrams@brownhealth.org and DKoinisMitchell@brownhealth.org from their institutional email).

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.