RECRUITMENT OF UNDERGRADUATES FOR MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH

本申请（以及对项目公告的回应，标题为“心理健康教育拨款”）要求为R-25项目“心理健康研究本科生招聘”提供竞争性的持续支持，该项目作为试点项目获得了NIMH最初三年的资助，并已在无成本行政延期的情况下继续进行了第四年。该项目由匹兹堡大学和卡耐基梅隆大学精神病学系、神经科学系、生物科学系、心理学系和化学系共同合作完成。它为有才华的本科理科生提供为期12个月的密集研究教育经验，他们寻求学士学位后的培训，为心理健康相关研究的职业生涯做准备。最终目标是找出在科学方面有天赋的特别有天赋的学生，并招募他们从事心理健康研究。这个独特的本科研究型教育项目包括在临床或基础科学实验室进行一年的实际研究经验，对与心理健康或精神障碍直接相关的科学问题进行监督研究；一个以临床神经科学和精神病学课程为特色的教学教育项目；在西方精神病学研究所和诊所（WPIC）进行为期十周的暑期项目，提供精神病学临床护理的机会，临床研究讲座，并参观临床实验室和设施。该项目代表了NIMH继续努力促进临床和基础科学研究人员之间积极合作的及时例子，在这种情况下，在本科理科生的教育中。它利用了相关机构的非凡优势，以及它们过去和现在在教育和研究项目上成功的跨学科合作。该计划的试点阶段提供了可行性和有效性的证据，以确定和招募有才华的本科生进入心理健康研究教育计划，以及高级临床研究人员对本科生教育的热情参与。我们建议在未来五年内继续扩大招聘力度，以便：增加培训学生的数量和多样性，进一步发展和完善课程，并在大学毕业后五年的年度后续评估中继续评估项目的短期和长期成果——根据学员完成研究项目、成功发表研究成果以及随后的职业决策和选择

This application (and response to the Program Announcement, entitled "Mental Health Education Grants") requests competing continuation support for the R-25 program, "Recruitment of Undergraduates for Mental Health Research" that received three years of initial NIMH funding as a pilot project and has been continued for a fourth year with a no-cost administrative extension. This program is a collaborative effort between the Department of Psychiatry and the Departments of Neuroscience, Biological Sciences, Psychology and Chemistry of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. It provides a 12-month intensive research education experience to talented undergraduate science majors who seek post-baccalaureate training in preparation for careers in mental health-relevant research. The ultimate goal is to identify exceptionally talented students who have an aptitude in the sciences and recruit them to careers in mental health research. This unique undergraduate research education program consists of a practical research experience in a clinical or basic science laboratory for one full year, conducting supervised research on a scientific question with direct relevance to mental health or mental disorders; a didactic educational program featuring courses in clinical neuroscience and psychiatry; and a ten-week summer program at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) that provides exposure to clinical care in psychiatry, lectures in clinical research, and visits to a clinical labs and facilities. The program represents a timely example of the NIMH's continuing effort to promote active collaboration between clinical and basic science researchers, in this case in the education of undergraduate science students. It capitalizes on the extraordinary strengths of the institutions involved and their past and continuing successful inter-disciplinary collaboration on educational and research programs. The pilot stage of this program offers evidence of feasibility and effectiveness in identifying and recruiting talented undergraduate students into a mental health research education program, as well as the enthusiastic participation of senior clinical researchers in the education of undergraduate students. We propose to continue this program with an expanded recruitment effort over the next five years to: increase the number and diversity of students trained, further develop and refine the curriculum, and continue to evaluate short- and longer-term outcomes of the program--in terms of trainees' completion of their research projects, successful publication of research findings, and their subsequent career decisions and choices--at annual follow-up evaluations over a period of five years following their university graduation