LeaHD Mission
LeaHD’s mission is to train scientists in learning health systems research to improve the health-related quality of life of persons with disability and chronic conditions by addressing inequities in access to and quality of rehabilitation and long term services and supports.
There is an urgent need to ensure equitable access to quality rehabilitation care and long terms services and supports (LTSS) for persons with disability and chronic conditions. Rehabilitation, the “health strategy of the 21st century” (WHO), optimizes function and reduces disability. LTSS assists individuals with complex health care needs due to aging, chronic illness, or disability to live more independently through personal care, supportive housing, and food assistance services.
LeaHD will train a diverse cadre of highly-skilled scientists poised to conduct Learning Health Systems (LHS) research (see LHS Scientist Program). The center will provide mentored training in core LHS research competencies, use individualized training plans, and provide experiential learning opportunities within health systems in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), clinical effectiveness research (CER), and dissemination & implementation (D&I) research.
LeaHD's Specific Aims
- Establish meaningful and inclusive health system partnerships to identify and develop important questions focused on rehabilitation and LTSS for persons with disability and chronic conditions.
- Recruit and develop a diverse cadre of highly-skilled scientists poised to conduct embedded research with our health systems partners, accelerating progress towards an integrated LHS.
- Leverage existing resources to provide mentored training for embedded scientists through core LHS research training, individualized training plans, and experiential learning.
- Facilitate embedded PCOR, CER, and D&I research with LeaHD’s health system partners through mentorship and methodological and operational expertise and support.
- Utilize a comprehensive evaluation framework to demonstrate the value of the LeaHD center by assessing its impact on embedded scientist professional development, health systems operations, and individual, family, and community-level outcomes.
History of LeaHD
LeaHD launched in January 2024. It builds on the successful collaboration of Brown University, Boston University, and University of Pittsburgh in the Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR) funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research (FPTR), and the Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network (LeaRRn) funded by the National Institutes of Health through the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Nursing Research.
Who we are
Meet our people.