This T32 renewal application aligns with the mission of The University of Texas at Austin’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SSW) and Dell Medical School (DMS), aiming to train underrepresented individuals in the sciences for careers combating social and health inequities in cardiovascular and lung disease. The project intends to recruit and rigorously train a group of future scientists, both postdoctoral and predoctoral, in community-based research methods and population health science, with guidance from mentors across disciplines. Through a team-based mentoring approach and interdisciplinary collaboration, the initiative strives to produce evidence-based interventions and scientific insights to promote positive health outcomes in heart and lung diseases, while leveraging the unique strengths of SHS’s community focus lens and DMS’s focus on population health. Overall management will be overseen by Drs. Yessenia Castro, Catherine Cubbin, and Elizabeth Matsui, supported by an Advisory Committee for program administration and evaluation.
