Recruitment of Undergraduates to Mental Health Research

描述（由申请人提供）：为响应心理健康研究领域招募新研究者的需求，本申请要求为R-25项目“心理健康研究本科生招聘”提供竞争持续支持，该项目是匹兹堡大学和卡内基梅隆大学精神病学系、神经科学系、生物科学系、心理学和化学系的合作项目。该项目为对心理健康相关研究感兴趣的有前途的本科科学专业学生提供了整整一年的密集研究经验。最终目的是为本科生提供早期动手研究的机会，以增加全国有才华的学生，这些学生将继续寻求学士学位后的培训，为心理健康研究的职业生涯做准备。这个独特的本科研究型教育计划包括：1)12个月的研究经验，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；2)以临床神经科学和精神病学为特色的教学计划；3)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，以及它们在教育和研究项目上跨学科合作的过去和持续的成功。对前八届毕业生的随访数据表明，进入医学博士、医学博士/博士学位的比例非常高。或健康科学博士课程（68%）或正在完成研究准备申请这些课程（另外18%）。到目前为止，我们的研究结果为识别和招募有才华的本科生进入心理健康研究教育项目提供了可行性和有效性的证据，也证明了大多数（86%）在追求健康科学的进一步教育和培训方面的持续进步。基于该项目迄今为止的成功，我们建议在未来五年内继续该项目，以增加培训学生的数量（从目前的92人增加到72人），扩大到每年包括两名全日制医学学生，评估短期和长期的职业教育和培训途径，并评估该项目对招募进入心理健康研究和心理健康相关科学领域的长期影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In response to the need to recruit new investigators into the field of mental health research, this application requests competing continuation support for the R-25 program, "Recruitment of Undergraduates for Mental Health Research" -a collaborative effort between the Department of Psychiatry and the Departments of Neuroscience, Biological Sciences, Psychology and Chemistry of the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Mellon University. The program features a full year of intensive research experience for promising undergraduate science majors with an interest in mental health relevant research. The ultimate aim is to provide early exposure to hands-on research to undergraduates to increase the national pool of talented students who go on to seek post-baccalaureate training in preparation for careers in mental health research. This unique undergraduate research education program consists of: 1) a 12-month research experience, conducting supervised research on a scientific question with direct relevance to mental health or mental disorders; 2) a didactic educational program featuring courses in clinical neuroscience and psychiatry; and 3) 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 success in inter-disciplinary collaboration on educational and research programs. Follow-up data for the first eight groups of graduates indicate that a remarkably high percentage have entered MD, MD/Ph.D. or Ph.D. programs in the health sciences (68%) or are completing research preparatory to application to these programs (an additional 18%). Our findings to date provide evidence of feasibility and effectiveness in identifying and recruiting talented undergraduate students into a mental health research education program, as well as evidence of the continuing progress of a large majority (86%) in pursuing further education and training in the health sciences. Based on the success of this program to date, we propose to continue this program over the next five years to: increase the number of students trained (from the current 92 to :[72), expand to include two full-time medical students per year in the program, evaluate both short- and long-term career education and training pathways of trainees, and evaluate the longer-range impact of the program on recruitment into the field of mental health research and mental health-related sciences.