The goal of the W. T. Grant Distinguished Fellows Program is to increase the supply of, demand for, and use of high-quality research in the service of improved youth outcomes. This application proposes a fellowship for Dr. Jennifer Barber to spend 50% effort for 1.5 years at two youth service organizations: a teen pregnancy prevention center in Detroit, and Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan. The goal of the proposed fellowship is to increase the quality of Dr. Barber?s research on teen pregnancy, and to increase the value of that research for programs attempting to prevent teen pregnancy. Thus, the focus of the proposed fellowship is on the gap between research and practice. Specifically, Dr. Barber will attend a variety of activities at each host site, including staff meetings, training meetings, organizational meetings to design and implement on-site activities, and regular meetings that monitor the effectiveness of the programs. In addition, at the teen pregnancy prevention center, Dr. Barber will participate as a facilitator in the three programs run by the center. And, at Planned Parenthood, Dr. Barber will shadow a clinician providing health, contraceptive, and abortion services.
