Research Education Core

REC SUMMARY The Research Education Component (REC) of the proposed University of Pennsylvania Patient-Oriented Research and Training to Accelerate Learning (Penn PORTAL) program will train learning health system (LHS) Scientists to develop and test patient-centered health care innovations aimed at improving health care delivery

and population health. This training will center equity and justice while incorporating approaches from comparative effectiveness research, implementation science, behavioral science, biomedical informatics, quality and safety operations, and ethics. Scientists will learn how to evaluate and implement evidence,

generate actionable and trustworthy findings from patient data, partner with health system and community stakeholders, and conduct pragmatic trials. Penn PORTAL’s REC will build on the successes of the Penn T- GAPP K12 program while addressing the needs of a diverse emerging LHS Scientist workforce. Specifically,

we aim to train a diverse cadre of LHS Scientists whose careers fit into one of two phenotypes: LHS Scientist Investigators seeking independently funded research careers and LHS Scientist Clinician Leaders seeking targeted skill building in LHS science. Scientists will be supported by a mentoring team including research and

operations experts and by consultants in equity and community engagement and in research design and data analysis. They will develop knowledge and skills corresponding to the AHRQ LHS competencies through didactic training (an LHS Seminar Series with lectures and interactive discussion sessions and a 4-day

implementation science bootcamp) and experiential training (a series of LHS Design Studios and a capstone project). Additional coursework tailored to the Scientists’ phenotype will be selected by the Scientist and their mentoring team guided by the Scientist’s Individual Development Plan. A third type of trainee, LHS Affiliate

Scholars, are early-stage faculty and clinician leaders who will be recruited from the Philadelphia metro area to participate in the LHS Seminar Series and the LHS Design Studios. Affiliate Scholars will be recruited from local health systems through the Accelerate Health Equity initiative, a unique city-wide collaboration funded by

the city’s major payor and including all major Philadelphia health systems. Penn PORTAL will be rigorously evaluated using a logic model and serial assessments of learners, mentors, and health system outcomes. Penn PORTAL is poised for success and high impact because it leverages Penn’s institutional strengths,

including existing educational programs in health care innovation, quality and safety, health equity and justice, biomedical informatics, implementation science, behavioral economics, and ethics; several robust and linked LHS research and training centers; and a world-class roster of 49 mentors spanning medicine, nursing, health

services research, and clinical operations. The long-term result of these efforts will be exceptional LHS Scientists and Affiliate Scholars who are equipped to execute rigorous LHS projects and advance the field of LHS science.