You know a tree by its fruit: Growing a fellowship program for community partnered mental health disparities research in an academic medical center

Pressing community needs to improve mental and physical health, decrease health disparities, and lower health care cost burdens are increasing demand for mental health related research and practice collaborations across community sectors and health disciplines. Academic medical centers can develop and implement novel educational models that enable faculty and trainees to partner with community agencies to address specific community-identified needs in these areas while also advancing science. This chapter presents the design and results of a clinical research fellowship program that integrates research trainees with preceptors in community-based agencies. The Rochester Program of Research and Innovation in Disparities Education (PRIDE) brought the University of Rochester Medical Center's (URMC) Clinical Psychology training and research faculty leaders together with community-based, including faith-based, health and human service agency leaders in Rochester, NY. This chapter details how research institutions can, with modest grant resources, align pre-existing psychology training structures to learn from community partners and to advance community-based research opportunities in the context of mental health and medical education. We discuss implications and challenges of developing health professional training programs with foci on mental and medical health disparities as well as community engaged research in health promotion, illness prevention and effective community-based treatment options.