Abstract
Problem:
Adolescents and young adults (AYA) have difficulty accessing high-quality, interdisciplinary, youth-centered/family-involved and culturally competent care. These problems are exacerbated for young people living in poverty and among minority populations.
Goals and objectives:
Goal 1. Attract and maintain a high caliber group of LEAH fellows.
- Obj.1 Recruit fellows in at least five disciplines.
- Obj.2 Recruit and retain minority fellows in LEAH.
Goal 2. Prepare LEAH fellows to address the complex needs of AYAs and their families.
- Obj.1 Participate in an interdisciplinary seminar series.
- Obj.2 Fellow has supervised clinical experiences related to AYA clinical care; subset receives intensive training.
Goal 3. Prepare LEAH fellows to have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to partner with diverse families, professionals, and community providers.
- Obj.1 Fellows participate in exemplary interdisciplinary adolescent-centered/family-involved and culturally competent clinical programs.
Goal 4. Prepare LEAH fellows to have the critical thinking, research, business, and policy skills essential to implement systems-levels change. Provide didactic and experiential training in:
- Obj.1 Research, and
- Obj.2 Improving systems of care for AYA.
Goal 5. LEAH fellows utilize leadership skills to develop and disseminate new knowledge.
- Obj.1 Fellows complete a research or community-based leadership project.
Goal 6. Evaluate program effectiveness and implement quality improvement strategies to improve LEAH.
- Obj.1 Evaluate fellows' self-perceptions of increased knowledge and skills.
Goal 7. Collaborate with & provide technical assistance (TA) to MCH professionals and organizations.
- Obj.1 Provide TA to Title V programs & other MCH/professional organizations.
Methodology:
We achieve our training objectives via the following activities:
- 13 Core Courses led by interdisciplinary LEAH Faculty ;
- Interdisciplinary didactic and clinical training programs;
- Fellow training in AYA/Family collaboration;
- Fellow visits with state Title V leadership;
- Fellow leadership and participation in a mentored research project or collaboration with community-based programs and providers working in underserved communities;
- Fellow participation in interdisciplinary clinical practicum.
Coordination:
Our LEAH program will collaborate with state Title V offices and support/provide services in Title V/Title X programs. We will collaborate with multiple state and local agencies in training fellows and improving the health infrastructure for AYAs. We will work with other MCHB-funded programs, including CHOP LEND and other LEAH programs.
Evaluation:
We will evaluate our fellows and our program. Fellows will complete an Individualized Training Plan, with progress reviewed quarterly. We will use Core Competency Measures to assess whether our LEAH program teaches these competencies, and survey fellows at 2, 5 and 10 years after completion to identify the career path of former fellows.