Overview
Students who are interested in solving problems in community health, health services, or health policy, may want to supplement their training with the Certificate in Clinical and Community Outcomes Research.
Current research investments reflect an emphasis on research that looks for ways to translate what has been learned in controlled settings into positive outcomes in clinical practice and community health. This research requires the ability to:
- consider multiple factors that interact to influence a community or organization;
- form and manage research partnerships with communities and organizations;
- evaluate whether a health intervention or prevention method works or will be used; and
- articulate policy implications of health issues and interventions.
The Certificate in Clinical and Community Outcomes Research focuses on the development of these skills.
The certificate addresses a well-documented gap in what should be a continuum between basic health and medical research discoveries and the application of those discoveries in clinical and public health practice. To bridge this gap new discoveries must move beyond efficacy studies to research that tests effectiveness in real-world settings, exploring factors that facilitate or impede positive health outcomes. This research requires engagement among community members, organizations, clinicians and researchers as partners in the research process and draws on a distinct set of skills. This certificate focuses on the development of skills to engage successfully in clinical and community health outcomes research.
Application Guidelines
The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) is the administrative home of the Certificate in Clinical and Community Outcomes Research. Detailed information about the curriculum, admission requirements, application procedures, and student services coordinators is posted on the ICTR website.
Whether a student enrolls in the graduate/professional certificate or capstone certificate program will depend on their educational goals. (Course requirements are the same for all.)
Graduate/Professional Certificate Prerequisites and Application and Enrollment Procedures
Graduate and professional students from any discipline are eligible to apply for enrollment in the graduate/professional certificate program. To be considered for admission, complete the following application procedures.
- Print and complete the certificate application form (available on the program website).
- Send the completed application to Deidre Vincevineus, 2112T HSLC, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705; vincevineus@wisc.edu.
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by the certificate advisory committee.
- Notification of admission to the certificate program: If the student has completed the application procedures described above, notification of the admission decision will be received within three weeks. Students with questions about the status of the application should contact Deidre Vincevineus at vincevineus@wisc.edu.
- After the student is admitted, the certificate advisory committee will review the stated research interests and recommend an advisor. An objective is to match students with an advisor from a discipline other than their own, to expose students to a variety of perspectives. Students will be notified with the name and contact information of their advisor. They should schedule a meeting with the certificate advisor within the first month after being admitted to identify learning and career objectives, and to discuss the program in relation to student goals.
- Note to Ph.D. students: Ph.D. students may want to start the graduate/professional certificate program early enough to be finished before starting the dissertation because university policy states: “If a dissertator wants to pursue a graduate degree or certificate in another area, the dissertator fee status will be discontinued and regular graduate fees will be assessed, with possible consequences listed above.” See the Graduate School's policy on Dissertator Status.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Translational and Outcomes Research in Health and Health Care | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select one course from each of the following areas: 1 | 5-6 | |
Working with Communities | ||
| Bridging the Gap Between Research and Action | ||
| Prevention Science | ||
| Health Systems Engineering | ||
| Quality of Health Care: Evaluation and Assurance | ||
| Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Diverse Communities | ||
| Health Program Planning, Evaluation, and Quality Improvement | ||
| Healthcare Operations Management | ||
| Managing Technological and Organizational Change | ||
| Sustainable Approaches to System Improvement | ||
| Pharmacist Communication: Educational and Behavioral Interventions | ||
| Quality of Health Care: Evaluation and Assurance | ||
| Evidence-Based Decision-Making | ||
| Community Organization and Change | ||
| Community Development | ||
Qualitative Methods Relevant to Clinic and Community Outcomes Research | ||
| Research Methods and Research Design in Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods in Education: Field Methods I | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Research | ||
| Field Research Designs & Methodologies in Educational Administratn | ||
| Biomedical Ethics and Society | ||
| Advanced Qualitative Design and Methods | ||
| Seminar-Qualitative Methodology | ||
| Project 2 | 2 | |
| Seminar | ||
| Select one of the following: | 1-2 | |
| Graduate Seminar in Industrial Engineering 3 | ||
or I SY E 699 | Advanced Independent Study | |
| Research 4 | ||
| Community Engagement in Health Services Research | ||
Presentation/Video Option 5 | ||
| Total Credits | 11-13 | |
| 1 | The certificate advisor can help students choose courses that qualify as fulfilling the two elective areas: (1) Working with Communities and (2) Qualitative Research Methods Relevant to Translational and Outcomes Research. At least one of the courses must be from outside the student's major. Students may propose to their certificate advisor an alternative course (i.e., not on the list of approved electives) for consideration as elective credit, including a course that also fulfills a requirement for their degree program. For criteria and procedures, see CCOR Handbook on the program website. |
| 2 | Students work with their certificate advisor to develop an appropriate project. |
| 3 | Since I SY E 961 is not offered on a regular basis, the alternative is for a student to sign up for one credit of I SY E 699 (section 030) with Professor Pascale Carayon. |
| 4 | Students will sign up for one credit of MEDICINE 990 (section 258) with Dr. Amy Kind. Permission required to enroll. This seminar is taught intermittently. |
| 5 | Students enroll in 2 credits of independent study with their certificate advisor. For details about the Presentation/Video Option for the seminar, contact the certificate coordinator. |
The Graduate Program Handbook is the repository for all of the certificate program's policies and requirements.
additional resources and opportunities
UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Resources to support clinical, translational and outcomes research
Mentoring
- Research Mentoring: https://mentoringresources.ictr.wisc.edu/
- The Individual Development Plan for mapping your mentee’s (graduate student and postdoc) academic and professional development: http://grad.wisc.edu/pd/idp
Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research Resources
Video lectures on topics relevant to translational and outcomes research (After you open this page, scroll to the bottom.)
Tools, videos, and data downloads to identify socioeconomic disadvantaged locations, improve patient engagement in research, identify patients with chronic conditions, and more.
- Develop a research question about a health concern of an actual community.
- Select an evidence-based approach to addressing the health concern.
- Involve investigators from two or more disciplines and/or stakeholders from two or more sectors as partners in your project.
- Demonstrate an understanding of collaboration skills for sustainable partnerships, e.g., benefits to the community partner(s) are built into the project; evidence of partner input to project design.
- Employ data gathering and analysis methods that respect community partners' organizational culture, values, staffing, and work flow.
Faculty Advisors
- Barbara Bowers, Ph.D., R.N., School of Nursing, Certificate Program Director
- Douglas Wiegmann, Ph.D., College of Engineering, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Betty Chewning, Ph.D., School of Pharmacy
- Tracy Schroepfer, Ph.D., School of Social Work
- Barbara King, Ph.D., School of Nursing
- Maureen Smith, M.D., MPH, Ph.D., School of Medicine and Public Health
For online profiles, visit Handbook, Advisement.