Author
GUERRA, CE - UNIV PENNSYLVANIA | |
GEHLERT, S - UNIV CHICAGO | |
WEWERS, ME - OHIO STATE UNIV | |
LURIE, N - RAND CORPORATION | |
MANFREDI, C - UNIV ILLINOIS | |
HOLMES, J - UNIV PENNSYLVANIA | |
Tucker, Katherine | |
YOUM, Y - UNIV ILLINOIS |
Submitted to: National Cancer Institute Transdisciplinary Science Conference: The Science of Team Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2006 Publication Date: 10/30/2006 Citation: Guerra, C., Gehlert, S., Wewers, M., Lurie, N., Manfredi, C., Holmes, J., Tucker, K., Youm, Y. 2006. The challenges of transdisciplinary research in health disparities: the early experiences of the centers for population health and health disparities. National Cancer Institute Transdisciplinary Science Conference: The Science of Team Science. October 30-31, 2006. Bethesda, MD. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: In 2003, NIH funded 8 Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities (CPHHD). The mission of these centers is to understand and reduce health disparities using a transdisciplinary approach with community partners as co-investigators. The present study aims to identify early challenges experienced by CPHHD investigators in working together to achieve the aims of their centers. A 33-item survey was constructed based in part on a report by the National Academies Committee on Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research. The survey was administered to the 35 CPHHD principal investigators and project leaders in early 2006. 27 surveys were completed by investigators from 42 disciplines; a 77% response rate. Less challenging among obstacles were working with community partners as co-investigators, arriving at a unifying conceptual framework to study health disparities across disciplines, dividing center resources among schools and divisions, and educating trainees in the conduct of transdisciplinary research, with only 25%, 22%, 22%, and 19% of investigators rating these processes as extremely or very challenging, respectively. Almost half of investigators reported they had not yet developed methods for analyzing transdisciplinary health disparities data and over two-thirds (73%) rated this experience as extremely or very challenging. Only one investigator reported being unable to continue her work because of competing commitments from her department. For investigators who had the opportunity to submit their work for peer review, acceptance for publication and scientific meetings was rated as extremely or very challenging only by 8% and 4% of investigators, respectively. Transdisciplinarity has been called a scientific and social imperative. However, early experiences of CHPPD indicate multiple challenges to conducting transdisciplinary research, most notably developing analytic methods and applying research results. Strategies are needed to assist transdisciplinary investigators in developing methods of analysis and applying their work. |