Not a Lone Wolf

Good science is a team sport — especially when it comes to addressing health disparities.

That’s the foundation of a new Carolina research training program that challenges students to explore both the biological and social factors that influence health in the U.S.

Led by sociologist Robert Hummer and epidemiologist Allison Aiello, the Biosocial Training Program funds seven graduate and post-doctoral students as they study some of the most pressing health issues of our time.

“This kind of work can’t just be done by a single person,” Hummer said. “People can’t sit under trees and think big thoughts and produce great science. That’s not how it works anymore. You have to have training across disciplines.”

As the trainees pursue cross-training, they have access to experts in many disciplines, including geographers, anthropologists, geneticists and maternal and child health experts.

“An ideal outcome would be that they go on to address some of these really complex problems, break down the walls that exist and launch really new, innovative areas of research,” Aiello said.

Read the complete Carolina Story…

 

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