Nursing’s Fox selected for NIH randomized trials institute
Aug. 8, 2024
Rina Fox, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing, has been selected for the National Institutes of Health Summer Institute for Randomized Trials of Behavioral Interventions. Fox is one of 30 fellows selected from about 160 applicants for the highly competitive institute funded by the NIH.
“I have heard wonderful things about this training for years, so it is quite an honor to be selected,” Fox said. “I am looking forward to honing my skills in conceptualizing and conducting scientifically rigorous randomized trials of health behavior interventions.”
The program, which is supported by the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and the National Cancer Institute, provides advanced courses in planning, designing and conducting high-impact randomized controlled trials of health-related behavioral interventions. According to its website, the institute’s long-term goal is to “build an outstanding scientific workforce that will conduct clinical trials that can change practice guidelines, health care policies, and third-party coverage for health-related behavioral interventions.”
“Dr. Fox is truly an ideal candidate for the NIH Summer Institute for Randomized Trials of Behavioral Interventions, and I am confident she will leverage the opportunities provided by this prestigious program to accelerate the development of her research and career,” said Brian Ahn, PhD, professor and dean of the College of Nursing, in his letter of recommendation. “I give my strongest recommendation that she be selected for this training.”
“Dr. Fox continues to expand her expertise in research, and this summer institute will strengthen her expertise in randomized trials of behavioral interventions for cancer survivors and their caregivers,” said Terry Badger, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC a professor and the Eleanor Bauwens endowed chair at the College of Nursing, the interim associate dean for research and Fox’s mentor. “Her expertise will help advance the research mission of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.”
Fox, who joined the college in 2021, studies behavioral and psychosocial interventions to improve the quality of life for people who have been diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers. She is also developing a line of research in collaboration with Meghan Skiba, PhD, MPH, RDN an assistant professor at the college, focused on multiple health behavior changes.
The four-day, in-person summer program will be followed by nine monthly online video meetings with a small community of other fellows. Those meetings will be facilitated by two faculty members from the institute.