John Abenojar (center) with Chinese kindergarteners from his research project "Emotion regulation across three cultures"

SPECIFIC TRAINING OBJECTIVES OF THE MHIRT PROGRAM

1. Provide University of Michigan students with an intensive international research experience related to problems that differentially affect poor and minority children in the U.S. and in developing countries;
2. Expose trainees to models of high-quality research;
3. Train students in critical review of the scientific literature, experimental design, current scientific methods, data analysis and interpretation;
4. Provide instruction to trainees about responsible conduct of research, with special attention to developing countries;
5. Familiarize trainees with cultural issues, including the culture of the host site, cultural diversity in the U.S., the experience of being an American in a foreign country, the comparison of health disparities in the US and abroad, and the importance of cultural factors in health and developmental problems of children;
6. Provide experiences in the written and oral presentation of research studies;
7. Disseminate research findings at the University of Michigan, and through appropriate scientific and professional channels, by presentations at scientific meetings, honors theses, doctoral dissertations, and publications where appropriate;
8. Expose trainees to career options in biomedical and behavioral research related to disparities in child health and development;
9. Create new opportunities for sustained independent, international research by graduate/
   medical students and faculty from health disparities populations;
10. Foster scientific and career mentoring relationships between successful senior investigators, junior faculty, and students from health disparities populations; and
11. Link UM faculty studying health disparities in the U.S. and investigators working on related problems in developing countries; Maintain and expand productive, enriching international collaborations in research and training for both the UM and the host sites.

MHIRT: NIH Purpose & University of Michigan Goals

MHIRT3: Eligibility & Selection Criteria

MHIRT4: Participating UM Faculty & International Sites

MHIRT5: Research Training Information

MHIRT6: Award & Application Information