In conjunction with the Strand One & Two research projects, RRTC: Health & Wellness will build capacity within the disability and health field by systematically training and mentoring junior faculty at partnering institutions. By linking with members from the Expert Panel on Health Intervention and Health Status Measurement, participants will be introduced to a network of disability and health professionals and be part of advanced level research in the field. They will be encouraged to collaborate with junior faculty at other institutions and to co-author articles.

Outcomes: 1) Increased knowledge and awareness of evidence-based health promotion programs and standard health status measurement tools; 2) Increased capacity to conduct research in disability and health.

Target Audiences: Participating faculty members will be drawn from a variety of fields including community psychology, occupational therapy, disability and human development, public health, epidemiology, and exercise sciences.

Outputs: Anticipate 10 junior faculty members will participate.

Venue: Partner institutions in Oregon, Montana, Illinois, Florida, Texas and Kansas.

Activities:

Recruit junior faculty members from partner institutions: Panel members will invite selected potential junior faculty members at their respective institutions to participate in the process (Yr 1, 2).

Train participants through exposure to expert panel: Junior faculty members will participate in the panel meetings and research tasks throughout the five years (Yr 1-5).

Provide ongoing mentorship and training opportunities to participants: In addition to taking part in the panel meetings, junior faculty will be mentored by their sponsoring panel member as well as members from other institutions (Yr 1-5). Based on past experience, we anticipate that most junior faculty will participate with the mentoring process for the duration of the Center and take on increasing responsibility for mentoring postdoctoral fellows or graduate students in their programs.

Evaluate mentorship experience: Evaluation of the training and mentorship experience will take place annually. Publications and grant proposals are expected outcomes for junior faculty. Participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the experience, and revisions to the program will be made to be responsive to needs (Yr 1-5).