Strengthening Intervention research capacity

4P : Prevention, Promotion and Public Policies

Training program in Transdisciplinary Research on Public Health Intervention

The Strategic Training Program in Transdisciplinary Research was aimed at PhD students and post doctoral fellows interested in conducting their research on the topic of public health interventions. These are defined as actions aimed at changing the distribution of health risks within the population by targeting multiple health determinants. These actions are the promotion, prevention and public policy (4P).

The 4P Training Program was recognized as one of the best in Canada in the field of population health. Its particularity was to promote the integration of students in public health settings as the National Institute of Public Health (INPSQ), public health departments (DSP), or CSSS.

• Each fellow was supervised by a mentor who accompanies his/her academically and professionally.
• Participating in monthly seminars, congresses and summer schools in public health reinforces the knowledge, attitudes and learning needed to pursue a successful career in intervention research.
• A major program strength was based on the use of transdisciplinarity in partnerships with organizations of public health. Applicants are admitted for a period of 3 years for doctoral students and 2 years for post doctoral fellows.
• The students were part of teams using a variety of disciplinary perspectives and diverse methodologies.
• The program provided the opportunity to do internships in public health research, to rub shoulders with policy makers and health professionals, to participate in diversified training activities, and attend conferences of renowned Canadian and international researchers.

Objectives

1.  Encourage students to pursue research careers on (4P) public health interventions (ie on the priority themes of public health and health systems and public policy linked the public health system) and create a community of researchers interested in this topic of research.
2. Provide students training laboratories in practice and decision settings of public health and health systems and public policy.
3. To promote the adoption of a broad and interdisciplinary vision, in formulating hypotheses, designing studies, data analysis and interpretation of results, as well as the identification of solutions.
4. To increase the skills of future researchers to conduct research in partnership with various interest groups (stakeholders, managers, service users and decision makers).
5. Training future researchers to the ethical dimensions of applied research in public health and public health and health systems and public policy.
6. Increase the capacity for knowledge sharing and research findings with policy makers, planners, professionals and the public, and the application of such knowledge.
7. To promote the development of new collaborations between university researchers and researchers in public health.