Enhancing health through the use of mobile technologies
Applications are currently being accepted; please see below
Using mobile technologies to more rapidly and accurately assess and modify behavior, biological states and contextual variables has great potential to transform medical research. Recent advances in mobile technologies and the ubiquitous nature of these technologies in daily life (e.g., smart phones, sensors) have created opportunities for research applications that were not previously possible (e.g., simultaneously assessing behavioral, physiological, and psychological states in the real world and in real-time). The use of mobile technology affords numerous methodological advantages over traditional methods, including reduced memory bias, the ability to capture time-intensive longitudinal data, date- and time-stamped data, and the potential for personalizing information in real-time. However, challenges in mobile health (or mHealth) research exist. Importantly, much of the work being done in mHealth arises from single disciplines without integration of the behavioral, social sciences and clinical research fields. Without integration, mobile technologies will not be maximally effective. The NIH mHealth Training Institutes address these scientific silos by bring together scientists from diverse fields to enhance the quality of mHealth research.
OBSSR and many NIH Institutes, Centers and Federal partners will host a five-day training Institute July 30-August 3, 2012 at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. The Institute will bring together leaders in mobile technology, behavioral sciences and clinical research to lead a cross-training event for early career investigators with interest in mHealth. The training curriculum will cover the current state of the science in mobile technology and engineering, behavior change theory and clinical applications, and highlight the intersection among these areas for research related to health. Daily didactic sessions will target the major cross-cutting research issues. Afternoons will be devoted to small, mentored, interdisciplinary teams developing potential mHealth research projects. Participants should expect to leave the Institute with experience creating mHealth projects in an interdisciplinary setting.
Application Process and Receipt Date:
Deadline to submit applications:
11:59pm, Eastern Time, Monday, March 19, 2012
Applicants must submit the following documents electronically by Monday March 19, 2012. To complete your application, go to http://www.regonline.com/2012nihmhealthsummerinstitute
- Personal Information. Enter through the link.
- Applicant Background. Address the following: Provide a brief summary of your professional background. Be sure to include what expertise you bring that is relevant to realizing the full potential of mHealth research? (No more than 600 words)
- Research interests. Describe a succinct, testable research question that you are interested in addressing with mHealth methodologies. Examples could include such topics as: Can body network sensors be used to monitor emotional state? Can real-time patient feedback improve lifespan in patients with heart disease? Can a mobile diagnostic tool deliver fast, accurate and interpretable results in low resource settings? Can a cell-phone based intervention for smokers reduce quit rates more than treatment as usual? This document may inform the selection of team projects and is intended to solicit your perspectives on the potential of mobile technologies to address critical public health challenges and approaches to building the evidence base that will inform how best to harness these technologies. (No more than 600 words).
- Experience Section: The mHealth Institute environment is especially suited to individuals who are willing to step outside their particular area of interest or expertise, who are positively driven, who enjoy creative activity, who can think innovatively and who can settle in easily in the company of strangers. Please describe an experience you have had in a comparable environment, especially one in which you worked in a team. What would you personally and professionally gain from participating in this Institute? (No more than 600 words)
- Applicant’s Curriculum vitae: Upload your Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
- Letter of Support: Signed letter of support from the applicant’s Mentor, Dean, Department Chair or Employer. This letter should describe the participants strengths, areas of interest and why this participant would benefit from the training.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Candidate Requirements:
- Hold a doctoral level degree (PhD, ScD, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.), in any of the following:
- Social and Behavioral sciences
- Medical, Health or Dental sciences
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Computational Sciences and Mathematics
- Biological, Physical or Earth sciences
- Participants at all career stages are eligible.
- Interest in the multidisciplinary science of mobile and wireless technologies
Applicants are NOT required to be citizens, permanent residents, or non-citizen nationals of the United States. HOWEVER, expenses will only be paid for domestic (within the U.S.) travel. Preference will be given to applicants who plan to use the training to inform research on health problems.
Costs and Stipends:
There are no costs for domestic participants attending the mHealth Institute. The NIH will pay for domestic travel to and from the Institute site, room and board and the course materials. Family members may accompany participants at their own cost.
For information on past and current NIH mHealth training institutes, please click the links below:
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Wendy J. Nilsen, Ph.D.
NIH/OBSSR
31 Center Drive, Building 31
Room B1-C19; MSC 2027
Bethesda, MD 20892-2027
Telephone: (301) 496-0979
Fax: (301) 402-1150
Email: mHealth.Training@mail.nih.gov
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