Research Expanding Access to Child Health (REACH)

PROJECT SUMMARY To improve the health and wellbeing of our nation’s children, it is essential to transform pediatric health care to address the complex social ecological factors that persistently hamper access to child health and contribute to pervasive health inequities. The overall goal of the Research Expanding Access to Child Health (REACH) Center

of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) is to strengthen pediatric healthcare delivery research infra- structure at the Nemours Children’s Hospital-Delaware (NCH-D) and establish robust programs of research, using stakeholder-engaged approaches to develop acceptable, feasible, and effective interventions and models

of care to achieve health equity. The REACH Center will soon conclude its second year of funding and it has seen great success. Two research cores -- PROMISE (Pediatric Research Optimizing Methods in Stakeholder Engagement) and IMPACT (Intervention Methods: Provision and Connection through Technology) – are

providing research infrastructure to investigators across Delaware. Project funding, research management support, and mentorship focused on the transition to independence (Launch mentorship) has been provided to six investigators to date with another three pilot projects starting in March 2024. Additionally, career development

and leadership training (Lead mentorship) has been provided to independent REACH Center investigators to foster their promotion and retention. This application for an Administrative Supplement to Recognize Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Mentorship will allow for an expansion of our Lead

mentorship program to focus on issues of DEIA in our Center. Lead is overseen by Melissa A. Alderfer, Ph.D., MPI of the REACH Center, who will serve as PI/PD for this supplement. Dr. Alderfer is an experienced mentor committed to her mentee’s scientific and professional development and career progress. As a woman and first-

generation scholar from a disadvantaged background, she has sought out and cultivated the development of a diverse group of mentees and prioritized establishing an inclusive research environment within our Center. The supplemental funds will expand these efforts in three ways: Aim 1) Extend the Lead mentorship program to

REACH Center staff and trainees from diverse backgrounds and provide culturally aware mentorship training to all; Aim 2) Expand our efforts to foster and fund health equity research led by investigators from diverse backgrounds through targeted mentorship; and, Aim 3) Establish a mentored research experience to introduce

cohorts of diverse trainees and community members to biomedical research. It is widely accepted that diversity at all levels of the scientific workforce enhances the innovation, conduct, quality, and impact of research. DEIA is particularly important in the REACH Center given our focus on reducing health disparities and social inequities.

The proposed enhancements to our Lead Mentorship Program are within the scope of our active award, will have a broad impact on our training environment at NCH-D, and will catalyze the ability of the REACH Center to propel scientific knowledge and clinical practice forward to equitably improve health for all children.