Second Cohort Graduates from the UH Certificate in Foundations of Health Services Research Program

UH Research & Education Update | September 2024

The Certificate in Foundations of Health Services Research, the UH Health Services Research Center's flagship program, recently graduated its second cohort. The July 29-August 16, 2024, postgraduate certificate program provides foundational knowledge and skills to early-career physicians and other clinicians pursuing health services research.

Certificate in Foundations of Health Services Research second cohort graduation class 2024.

Samudragupta Bora, PhD, program director and founding director of the UH Health Services Research Center, states, "We are extremely proud of this program because it aligns with our commitment to establishing an internationally recognized research center distinguished by methodological rigor and innovation, leveraging strategic partnerships, and investing in training the next generation of health services researchers."

The primary goal of this three-week intensive, fast-paced, 85-hour program is to provide a comprehensive curriculum focused on the fundamentals of health services research methodology, as well as broad skills for conducting innovative, transdisciplinary, and team science in a mentored research setting. What sets this program apart is its unique and unparalleled curriculum, meticulously designed after identifying gaps in comparable programs across the country. This comprehensive curriculum is unmatched in terms of breadth and depth of content, making it a truly intriguing opportunity for early-career physicians and clinicians.

The curriculum is designed in a modular format to provide a solid foundation in epidemiology and biostatistics, which serves as the foundation for three specialist areas of research: health disparities and inequities, dissemination and implementation, and healthcare quality and safety. Seven methodology workshops supplement these five foundational modules, covering topics such as spatial analysis, economic evaluation, qualitative methods, mixed methods, evidence synthesis, knowledge translation, and administrative dataset evaluation. Finally, students present their research proposal, which incorporates the knowledge gained. In addition to a structured curriculum, this program includes research seminars presented by successful nationally recognized faculty who serve as role models for building a successful extramural-funded health services research program.

“We are so proud of the 2nd year class of our Foundations of Health Services Research intensive program,” said Daniel I Simon, MD, President, Academic & External Affairs and Chief Scientific Officer, Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair of Health Care Leadership at University Hospitals.  “It is so inspiring to see the next generation of health implementation science and health outcomes researchers come together for this outstanding educational opportunity that will ultimately benefit our patients and community.”

Along with the curriculum, the program's strength is its careful selection of faculty, with 100% of eligible faculty receiving extramural funding, 70% receiving career development awards, and 100% of those eligible transitioning to career independence awards. Harvard University, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, New York University, University of Colorado, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest University were among the institutions represented by faculty for the 2024 class.

The class of 2024, which included 15 physicians and one nurse practitioner from various specialties, has successfully completed the program. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all our graduates for their commitment to improving healthcare delivery at both individual and population levels.