Funded Projects

Problem:

The health of Indiana adolescents and young adults (AYA) ranks in the bottom half of all states, is last among neighboring states in many indicators, and rural Indiana AYA face unique health barriers. Additionally, Indiana has an inadequate public health workforce -- the smallest in Region V and among the lowest in the nation. There is an unmet need to develop a well-trained workforce to optimize AYA health in our catchment area, the state of Indiana.

Goals and Objectives:

The central purpose of the Indiana University Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (IU LEAH) program is to train professionals in effective strategies for AYA risk assessment, disease prevention, treatment, care coordination, and the optimization of well-being. IU LEAH uses a population health framework, integrating our exemplary faculty with multidisciplinary trainees, to prepare them for positions of leadership in AYA health. IU LEAH goals and objectives are to:

1. Prepare diverse AYA professionals through didactic and experiential mentored learning, research training, professional development, and community engagement;
2. Expand diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within all training components;
3. Develop curricula, training activities, and research that produce evidence-based products and practice in AYA care; 4) Improve access to health services, well-being, and support for AYA; and
4. Expand our reach through telehealth, distance learning, technical assistance, and continuing education.

Methodology:

The methodology to execute IU LEAH goals will be through didactic seminars, longitudinal of clinical and experiential apprenticeships, mentored research, expansion and support of DEI, and enhanced reach of LEAH within and outside catchment areas. Annually, we will train 2 medicine, 1 nursing, 1 social work, and 1 psychology long-term trainees, 60 medium-term trainees, and 10 short-term trainees through IU LEAH.

Coordination:

The IU LEAH program is coordinated through day-to-day activities, patterns of weekly and monthly focal topics and issues, and annual cycles of recruitment, training, evaluations, graduation, and follow-up.

Evaluation:

IU LEAH is built sustainability through planning, documentation of outcomes, replication of best practices, mobilization of key stakeholders, and integration of programs into existing structures. We have identified timed, objective ways to gather data.