Designing and Implementing a Curriculum to Support Health Equity Research Leaders: The Interdisciplinary Research...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity Research
• Community-Based Participatory Research

Background:

• Health inequities in the U.S. are persistent, yet solution-focused research is scarce.
• There is a need for research that directly informs policy and practice to advance health equity.
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program was established to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a curriculum for the IRL program.
• To cultivate leaders capable of using research evidence to promote health equity.
• To foster community-engaged research that catalyzes policy action.

Main Methods:

• The curriculum covered leadership, policy, communication, community engagement, and research methodologies.
• Implementation was assessed over the first five years of the IRL program.
• The approach focused on developing interdisciplinary leaders and community partners.

Main Results:

• The curriculum successfully trained participants in key domains for advancing health equity.
• The program fostered leadership skills for translating research into community action.
• Community-engaged research was effectively catalyzed to inform policy.

Conclusions:

• The IRL curriculum provides a model for developing leaders to address health disparities.
• The program's components can be adapted for other educational initiatives to promote health equity.
• This approach amplifies the capacity for research-driven change in communities nationwide.