The UW Training in Equity and Structural Solutions in Addictions (TESSA) T32 Training Program is a pre- and postdoctoral training program funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). TESSA provides predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship positions in multidisciplinary training for addiction health services research from an anti-racist lens.
TESSA offers trainees opportunities for mentored research and training in addiction health services research. The program’s goal is to provide the next generation of addictions health services researchers with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to generate innovative structural solutions to improve equity. TESSA hopes to foster a multidisciplinary understanding of addictions and their care from an anti-racist, structural lens.
Both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral curricula are centered in the School of Public Health, largely in the Department of Health Systems and Population Health (particularly for pre-doctoral trainees). The program also capitalizes on additional resources of the UW Schools of Public Health, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and the College of Arts and Sciences to provide additional methods and content expertise and leverages an array of internal and external research partners–including the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, and the VA Center of Innovation in Health Services Research.
Predoctoral TESSA trainees will complete foundational PhD curriculum, as well as a TESSA-specific Area of Emphasis curriculum. Postdoctoral TESSA trainees will either complete a Master of Science (MS) degree in Health Services, or an individualized curriculum plan. All TESSA trainees will engage in additional experiential and didactic learning throughout their fellowship.
The aim of the TESSA program is to expand the nation’s addictions health services disparities research workforce. TESSA’s specialized curriculum is designed to ensure that trainees acquire fundamental knowledge and skill competencies they will need to conduct cutting edge addictions disparities and equity research and develop and test structural solutions for health in collaborative team-oriented environments. Trainees will acquire competencies in evidence-based care for addictions, design and evaluation of interventions, social determinants of health, anti-racism and critical race theory, implementation science, policy writing and evaluation, team science and stakeholder engagement, and research design and analysis. Upon completion of their predoctoral or postdoctoral training, trainees embark on health services research and/or medicine careers in universities, research organizations, public health departments, and government agencies.
Training Program Co-Directors
Emily Williams, Ph.D., MPH
Geetanjali Chander, MD, MPH
Judith Tsui, MD, MPH
Financial Support for Trainees
The training grant provides 1-2 years of financial support for selected students. Trainees receive a monthly stipend, tuition support, and health insurance coverage. All stipend amounts are determined and updated annually by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Travel support is also provided for students to conduct research and attend at least 1 national or regional addiction conference per year.
Additionally, trainees with children are eligible for childcare support.
Admissions
Predoctoral Admissions
Ph.D. applicants will be considered for this training program during the annual Ph.D. admission process. Applicants should indicate interest in this program on their application. Accepted and current students of the UW Health Services Ph.D. program are eligible for the UW Training in Equity and Structural Solutions in Addictions (TESSA) T32 Training Program.
Applicants should indicate interest in this training fellowship on their Ph.D. application form.
Postdoctoral Admissions
Postdoctoral positions are also available, please contact hservphd@uw.edu for more information about TESSA postdoctoral positions.
Applicants should indicate interest in this training fellowship on their Ph.D. application form.