Advancing the Nation's Health Needs: NIH Research Training Programs

This report is the twelfth in a series on monitoring the changing needs for biomedical and behavioral research personnel in the United States. The task of assessing and predicting the status of research personnel over the entire spectrum of health sciences is daunting. The need for improved health care in the nation remains a priority. This need can only be met by research in health areas over a broad and continually expanding venue. Research and research training are national as well as international in scope and personnel.

The Statement of Task for the committee is as follows: "A committee will advise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on issues regarding research personnel needs in the basic biomedical sciences, behavioral and social sciences, clinical sciences, oral health, nursing, and health services. The committee will gather and analyze information on the employment of research scientists in these fields and on the need for educating additional researchers. The committee will deal broadly with the training needs and direction of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program, as dictated by congressional legislation and with the process to assess the needs. The report will examine long-range trends and identify training needs through 2010."