The overall goal of the Rutgers-NYU Investigator Development Core (IDC) is to support and increase the expertise of interdisciplinary scientists, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, to prepare them to conduct innovative and impactful health equity intervention, prevention, and management research on cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes among Asian Americans. Our approach has implications for understanding mechanisms of both health and wellbeing as well as changing how we ‘think about’ and how we ‘do’ research on these topics. Even more importantly, our approach will transform how we create and conduct research with these populations. Such an approach to health equity research will foster multidirectional and transdisciplinary integration of innovative research that has maximal impact on community practice and policy.
Our Center will provide an enriched environment that develops pilot projects, strategies, and investigators who:
1) understand multi-level and multi-domain determinants of comorbid cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes among US Asians;
2) integrate community partners and perspectives utilizing principles of Community-Partnered Participatory Research into study design and implementation; and
3) conduct translational research to improve health and wellbeing among Asian adults and optimize cardiometabolic and mental health and disease prevention, treatment and management.
To achieve this goal, the Investigator Development Core is fully linked with the Administrative Core and Community Engagement Core to:
Aim 1: Build research and mentorship capacity of a diverse group of P50 Pilot Investigators focused on intervention research regarding cardiometabolic and mental health among US Asians and expand collaborative efforts with established research scientists, with emphasis on content, methods, and relevant supporting theoretical frameworks.
Aim 2: Support our Pilot Investigators in a nurturing, interdisciplinary environment that encourages scholarly development, including presentations, publications, and larger grant applications to leverage their pilot project experience and further develop pathways for interdisciplinary implementation of effective strategies to address cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes.
Aim 3: Create a pilot funding mechanism to solicit, review and select 5 Pilot Projects per year to conduct cardiometabolic and mental health translational research. This process ensures the choice of scientifically rigorous pilots that helps to bridge current population health needs and have high likelihood of success for future independent studies. Aim 4: Track and evaluate success of Pilot Investigators using an iterative, user friendly, and longitudinal evaluation process designed to continuously improve the Rutgers-NYU CAHPE infrastructure and support; foster development of a strong pipeline of new pilots and successful pilot investigators throughout the funding period; work closely with investigators to translate pilots into high-impact R01 level programs.
