Bridging the Science-to-Service Gap in Aging Care: Prevention, Optimization and Living Well with Persistent or Serious Illness (Bridge-The-Gap)
INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (T32) PROGRAM IN PREVENTION, OPTIMIZATION AND LIVING WELL WITH PERSISTENT OR SERIOUS ILLNESS
Program Overview
This postdoctoral fellowship program will address the pressing need for strengthening and diversifying the pipeline for well-trained clinician investigators through the development testing and implementation of clinical and behavioral prevention interventions across the continuum from health to illness across all care settings (hospital, nursing homes) and in the community for older individuals or those with persistent or serious illness, and their care-partners. The program will also provide the many trainees who have interest and commitment to clinical and behavioral research with the opportunity for interdisciplinary training that cuts across our departments, and includes additional relevant disciplines such as neurology, nursing, rehabilitation sciences and social work. Trainees will receive specialized didactic training that covers methods across the NIH stage model, trial design and community engaged research across primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, biostatistics, clinical trial management, scientific writing, health disparities and social determinants of health, leadership skills and career planning, in preparation for career development awards or other independent applications to be submitted by the end of the fellowship period. Trainees will develop mentored clinical research projects that use the NIH stage model and will receive experiential training through their mentors’ NIH funded clinical trials
Eligibility
Eligible trainees must have an interest in behavioral and/or clinical research related to aging, persistent and/or serious illness. Appropriate candidates include:
• PhD clinician scientists (PhD, PsyD, or equivalent) from an accredited doctoral program who have completed their training in clinical or counseling psychology, social work or nursing.
• Physician (MD, OD or equivalent) resident-fellows who have completed their clinical training in medicine, neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, palliative care or other specialty
• United States Citizen or United States permanent resident at the time of appointment.
• A 12-month commitment appointment for a minimum of 2 years of research training is required, except for situations where fellows secure a career development award before the 2-year fellowship mark.
Applications are due by April 15th for funding to start July 1, 2023.
https://redcap.partners.org/redcap/surveys/?s=P97AXCACDXMRTRKC
Selection criteria considers scope and innovation of proposed research, prior research experience, publications, grant funding, evidence of a commitment to engage in research in the future. Applicants from diverse and historically minoritized communities are strongly encouraged to apply. Scan the QR code for more information and link to application.
Team
The program is jointly led by 2 senior investigators with complementary expertise – Dr. Christine Ritchie (Internal Medicine) and Dr. Ana-Maria Vranceanu (Psychiatry), who have trailblazed interdisciplinary collaborations across our departments through multiple NIH and foundation funded projects. They are joined by junior, mid-career and senior faculty from not only Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, but also other relevant departments and disciplines including MassGeneral Neurosciences, Neurology, Nursing, Social Work and the Institute of Health Professions
The program is jointly led by 2 senior investigators with complementary expertise – Dr. Christine Ritchie (Internal Medicine) and Dr. Ana-Maria Vranceanu (Psychiatry), who have trailblazed interdisciplinary collaborations across our departments through multiple NIH and foundation funded projects. They are joined by junior, mid-career and senior faculty from not only Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, but also other relevant departments and disciplines including MassGeneral Neurosciences, Neurology, Nursing, Social Work and the Institute of Health Professions
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH
Ana-Maria Vranceanu, PhD
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH is Professor of Medicine and the Kenneth L. Minaker Chair of Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a board-certified geriatrician and palliative care physician and conducts research focused on optimizing quality of life for those with chronic serious illness and multimorbidity. She has provided geriatric and palliative care to functionally impaired, seriously ill patients with multiple co-occurring conditions and those with dementia for the past two and a half decades.
Her research focuses on patients with complex serious illness and multimorbidity and involves the assessment of patient and caregiver outcomes related to symptoms physical, cognitive and social function among older adults in multiple settings. As a clinician investigator, she has experience in informatics, mixed methods research, clinical trials and implementation science. Dr. Ritchie serves as MPI of the National Institute for Nursing Research-funded Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC) and directs the PCRC Investigator Development Center. She is co-founder and co-director of the Home-based Primary Care Learning Network with co-investigator Dr. Bruce Leff.
She serves as Director of Research for the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and directs MGH Center for Aging and Serious Illness Research.
Dr. Vranceanu is a clinical health psychologist, Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, and Founding Director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR), formerly known as the Integrated Brain Health Clinical and Research Program (IBHCRP) at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School (MGH/HMS). She is also the James and Elizabeth Gamble Endowed Chair Co-Director (Psychiatry) for MassGeneral Neurosciences and Co-director for Grants Consultation and Support within the Department of Psychiatry.
She is an expert in mind-body and lifestyle intervention development and testing as well as in-person and live video mind-body and lifestyle modification programs, which are integrated within medical practices, hospital systems, and communities to: 1) preserve overall health, 2) promote recovery after injury or surgery, and 3) optimize management of chronic illness. She works with individuals, caregivers, and patient-caregiver dyads.
Dr. Vranceanu has served as Principal Investigator (PI) for over 20 research grants and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles. She is currently PI on several federally funded projects including: Active Brains Digital (NIA R01); Doorstep (NCCIH 34 with Cale Jacobs); Resilient Youth with Neurofibromatosis (DoD R01); Resiliency in Adults with Neurofibromatosis (DoD Ro1); Recovering Together (NINR R01); and Toolkit for Optimal Recovery (NCCIH R01). Dr. Vranceanu has a mid-career mentoring award (NCCIH K24) focused on mentoring interdisciplinary trainees at MGH and nationally