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On March 3, 2009, invitation e-mails were sent to the directors of the programs selected for participation. Invitations incorporated a description of the study and informed consent information. A direct link to the study questionnaire, which was hosted on the Web site Zarca Interactive, was also included in the e-mail. Data collection from directors was terminated on April 1, 2009. On March 16, 2009, similar invitation e-mails were sent to faculty members who had been identified by their directors as the “most knowledgeable” and appropriate person to answer questions about each of the five curriculum areas (HBSE, policy, practice, research, and field). Invitations to faculty members were sent out on a rolling basis as their names and contact information were received from the directors of their programs.
Data collection from faculty members was terminated on May 1, 2009. In order to maximize the response rate, four reminder e-mails were sent to directors and faculty members between the respective opening and closing dates.