The Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR), in cooperation with the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), the Center for Reducing Health Disparities, and the Office of Research, recently hosted "Bridging the Causeway: A Center for Healthcare Policy and Research Symposium" at the Memorial Union on the Davis campus. A pilot grant program for collaborative, interdisciplinary proposals was announced at the conference. Awards up to $10,000 will be available. Pilot grant application forms are available at:
 http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/chpr/events/pilot_grant_application.doc. 

John M. Westfall, M.D., Associate Dean for Rural Health at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was the featured Plenary speaker. Dr. Westfall is the primary author of "Practice-Based Research—‘Blue Highways’ on the NIH Roadmap" (JAMA. 2007;297:403-406).

The symposium was held on March 25, 2008, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Community engagement and practice-based, collaborative research were emphasized. The symposium also featured speakers and breakout groups focusing on three areas of health services research. The breakout sessions were as follows:

Cancer
Session Leader: Joy Melnikow, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine

Obesity
Session Leader: Craig Warden, Ph.D.
Professor
Departments of Pediatrics and Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Mental Health
Session Leader: Nolan Zane, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Psychology