Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) proposes a Mentored Comparative Effectiveness Research Scholar Program (MCERSP) in response to the AHRQ ARRA Recovery Act 2009 Limited Competition RFA-HS-10-007. For over 30 years, Duke has been a world leader in training clinical researchers. Research organizations within Duke, like the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, the Primary Care Research Practice Network, and the Comprehensive Cancer Institute, have fostered research careers for over 1,000 faculty who serve in institutions throughout the country. In addition to our strong tradition in educating clinical researchers, Duke has an extensive infrastructure in place for conducting comparative effectiveness research. The AHRQ funded Evidence Based Practice (EPC) Center, the Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness (DEclDE) Center, the Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERT), and the newly funded VA Evidence Synthesis Center provide excellent opportunities for Scholars'research projects. We recognize, however, that the paradigm for training future leaders in the quantitative aspects of healthcare delivery is changing. We cannot train clinical researchers in a vacuum of pure methodology. They must be exposed to real problems in the healthcare delivery system, and they must understand how to form and lead teams of researchers, clinicians, and managers if there is any hope that what they discover will ever be used to improve care. We propose a 3-year education and research experience for a unique cohort of Scholars committed to careers in comparative effectiveness research. Our MCERSP has six major elements: (1) a mentor team including a clinical leader, (2) a tailored didactic experience, (3) a mentored research project, (4) an "internship" in the health system, (5) a career skills building program, and (6) a short-term research experience outside of Duke. We have identified 25 faculty who would be eligible to mentor the Scholars and 16 potential Scholars. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The federal government has identified the critical importance of comparative effectiveness research to the future of health care in the country. Academic medical centers are being called upon to train additional researchers in the conduct of comparative effectiveness research to address this much-needed area of expertise.