Program on Prevention Outcomes and Practices Training Program

Principal Investigator: Randall S. Stafford 
Funding Agency: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute 
Duration: 12/1/2006 - 3/31/2012

ABSTRACT:  Clinical research, particularly patient-oriented research (POR), is critical to the translation of scientific knowledge into population health benefits.  Return on our investment in scientific research is achieved only when we develop strategies for insuring widespread uptake of scientific knowledge into clinical applications and from effective applications into health care systems.  Given the importance of translating research into practice, it is ironic that numerous barriers face clinically trained physicians who aspire to research careers that directly impact patients and population health.  The four major challenges faced by our national clinical research enterprise identified by Clinical Research Roundtable of the Institute of Medicine are public participation, information systems, workforce training, and funding.  Included among its priority recommendations are a focus on mentoring, including training of senior mentors, assignment of mentors to junior researchers, and providing incentives for effective mentoring.  The lack of adequate mentoring is a particular problem for aspiring patient-oriented researchers.  The proposed mid-career mentoring award has the following specific aims that seek to ameliorate this problem:

1) Leverage the successful POR agenda of the candidate, Randall S. Stafford, MD, PhD, as well as the outstanding environment of Stanford University to enlarge an innovative and dynamic clinical research setting.

2) Building on Dr. Stafford’s skills as a mentor, develop and apply a more systematic approach to mentoring that supplements the traditional apprenticeship model with educational and career building experiences.

3) Through salary support and the increased availability of protected mentoring time, increase Dr. Stafford’s capacity to provide a greater depth of mentoring to a larger number of mentees.