ReACH Equity Program frequently asked questions
Q: What is the ReACH Equity Program?
A: The UC Davis Research to Advance Connected and Community Health Equity (ReACH Equity) program is a predoctoral training program focused on advancing health equity research. It aims to increase the number of researchers who can use equity-centered methods to optimize health outcomes among historically marginalized communities (HMCs), including Black, Indigenous, Latinx, rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged, LGBTQ+, and non-English speaking populations.
Q: What are the key goals of the ReACH Equity Program?
A: The program’s main goals are:
- Recruiting and retaining a diverse group of predoctoral trainees focused on equity-centered research.
- Empowering trainees to explore a range of career paths, including academia, public policy, and industry.
- Providing training in multidisciplinary methods that address the multiple structural and social influences on health outcomes.
Q: What kind of training does the program offer?
A: ReACH Equity provides a carefully structured program that includes a core curriculum resulting in a graduate certificate in health equity. The program offers mentoring from experts in various fields, including nursing, public health, and social sciences. Trainees receive training in prevention science, evaluation methods, and the translation of scientific knowledge to impact communities, advocates, and policymakers.
Q: Who are the mentors in the ReACH Equity Program?
A: The program has a robust roster of mentors, including clinicians, nurse scientists, epidemiologists, and social scientists from UC Davis across 17 departments. These mentors have diverse research interests and expertise in areas such as prevention science, behavioral science, health policy, and advanced statistical modeling.
Contact ReACH Equity Predoctoral Program Coordinator, Jasmine Cuellar, to see a list of our current mentors.
Q: How does the program support mentorship and career development?
A: The ReACH Equity program uses a peer-onsite-distance (POD) mentoring model. Each trainee is matched with a primary mentorship team, including a senior mentor and a mentor-in-training. Cohort mentors also provide group-based professional development support. Trainees have access to courses, career development workshops, and networking opportunities to foster their growth.
Q: What opportunities for community engagement are available through the program?
A: UC Davis has longstanding relationships with communities in the Central Valley and Northern California. Trainees can engage in community-based participatory research and work on projects that impact rural, migrant, and urban communities. The program emphasizes collaboration with HMCs to co-design research and interventions that address health equity challenges.
Q: What makes the ReACH Equity Program unique?
A: UC Davis is uniquely positioned to offer this training due to its strengths in multidisciplinary research, proximity to California’s state legislature, and longstanding commitment to health equity. The program’s focus on both micro-level factors and structural barriers to health sets it apart from other programs. Moreover, the integration of diverse fields, including nursing, medicine, and social sciences, ensures a comprehensive approach to health equity research.
Q: What kind of time commitment does this program require as a trainee?
A: Trainees must devote at least 20 hours per week to training program activities and to appropriately balance their curriculum requirements with research training commitments. Additionally, as an NIH funded program, trainees cannot be engaged in outside employment more than 10 hours per week.
Q: Do I need to pass my qualifying exam to apply?
A: No, students do not need to have passed a qualifying examination to apply for the ReACH Equity training program.
Q: Can I apply as a first year PhD student?
A: Eligible students must be entering either their second or third year for their PhD program to apply.
Q: I currently have an NIH diversity supplement, may I still apply?
A: Yes; a student with an NIH Diversity Supplement can apply for an NIH T32 predoctoral training slot, but cannot receive funding from both sources simultaneously for the same research—so adjustments may be needed if both are awarded. There is also a possibility of needing to relinquish the Diversity Supplement in order to transition to the T32.
Q: Do you know if I need to have advanced to candidacy in order to be eligible for this program? And would I be able to simultaneously be PI of another predoctoral NIH grant?
A: You do not need to have advancement to candidacy to apply. However, you cannot be a PI on another grant simultaneously.
