Research Education Core

The urgent need to ensure high-quality and equitable healthcare is clear, yet evidence for interventions to address this need is scarce. The most effective strategy for accelerating the transition to equitable, high-quality healthcare in the US is to train and embed a large cadre of Learning Health System (LHS) Scientists focused on this critical issue. To become LHS Scientists, junior faculty need to be proficient in the LHS competency domains defined by AHRQ and practiced in patient-centered outcomes and comparative effectiveness research (PCOR/CER) methods. Further, health equity cannot be achieved without increasing diversity in the research workforce, meaningful engagement of diverse groups of patient and community stakeholders, and inclusion of priority populations in research. The goal of the Columbia-Cornell-Einstein EQUIP+ Center for LHS Science is to train junior faculty from three renowned academic medical centers, with expansive reach and diverse patient populations, to conduct rigorous, rapid-cycle studies within the LHS, applying LHS core competencies and PCORI methodologies, to foster their development as independent LHS Scientists focused on improving health equity and quality. Our Research Education Core (REC) will provide education, training, and mentorship for embedded LHS Scientists, who require education, mentorship, and experience to build their research knowledge and skills. The REC will develop and deliver a high-caliber, innovative, and multidisciplinary training curriculum that incorporates AHRQ LHS Core Competencies and PCORI Methodology Standards in PCOR/CER Design and Methods, Health Equity, Stakeholder Engagement, Improvement and Implementation Science, Informatics and Health Information Systems, Research Dissemination, and Career Development. The REC will also support LHS Scientists with a diverse, multidisciplinary, and distinguished mentorship team of research and consulting faculty with expertise in the focus areas of the EQUIP+ Center: equity and health disparities, quality and safety, implementation science, informatics, and patient-centered outcomes. The REC will pursue the following aims: Aim 1–Deliver a comprehensive didactic and interactive education program to prepare LHS Scientists to develop, deploy, and evaluate PCOR/CER projects focused at the intersection of equity and quality; Aim 2–Provide effective mentorship and tailored training experience for embedded LHS Scientists to conduct PCOR/CER projects in the LHS; Aim 3–Recruit and retain a diverse group of LHS Scientists, including from underrepresented groups, and provide the support needed to ensure their success and expand the diversity of the research workforce. The EQUIP+ Center’s didactive, interactive, and experiential training and mentoring program will enable a diverse group of LHS Scientists to launch LHS research careers and contribute to improving health equity and quality for the benefit of patients, communities, and healthcare systems.