Schizophrenia Research Fellowship

描述（由申请人提供）：该培训计划的目的是增加精神分裂症领域的研究人员的数量，他们有能力将现代基础和临床研究技术应用于他们的研究。在精神药理学、脑成像、遗传学、神经病理学、神经心理学、分子神经生物学和流行病学等学科的培训由参与的教师提供。所有导师都有联邦资助的研究项目。该培训通过在监督下参与正在进行的研究来发展研究技能，但受训人员也被期望构建和执行独立的项目。教学工作侧重于研究设计和统计，每周举行一次精神分裂症研究研讨会，回顾当前所有领域的精神分裂症研究。该项目的受训人员主要是完成了医学院培训和4年住院医师培训的精神科医生。这些受训者在诊断和治疗包括精神分裂症在内的主要精神疾病方面有相当多的经验，但可能缺乏具体的研究技能，例如发展可检验的假设，设计机构审查委员会可接受的可行研究，以及收集和分析标准化研究数据。除了这些医学博士精神科医生，我们还招募具有基础科学研究背景的医学博士/博士精神科医生、心理学博士、医学博士神经学家和对精神分裂症有特殊兴趣的生物学博士。我们调整培训以适应他们的背景和兴趣。每年要求7项津贴以支助2至3名研究员，大多数研究员预计将获得第三年培训的支助。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this training program is to increase the number of researchers in the area of schizophrenia who have the ability to apply modern techniques of basic and clinical research into their investigations. Training in the disciplines of psychopharmacology, brain imaging, genetics, neuropathology, neuropsychology, molecular neurobiology and epidemiology are offered by participating faculty. All mentors have federally-funded research projects. The training develops research skills by supervised participation in ongoing research, but the trainee is expected to construct and execute independent projects as well. Didactic work focuses on research design and statistics, and a weekly schizophrenia research seminar reviews current schizophrenia research in all areas. Trainees for the project are primarily psychiatrists who have completed both their medical school training and 4 years of residency. These trainees have had considerable experience with the diagnosis and treatment of major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, but are likely to lack specific research skills such as developing testable hypotheses, designing a feasible research study acceptable to institutional review boards, and the collection and analysis of standardized research data. In addition to these MD psychiatrists, we recruit MD/PhD psychiatrists with a background in basic science research, PhD psychologists, MD neurologists, and PhD biologists with a special interest in schizophrenia. We adapt the training to suit their background and interests. Seven stipends are requested to support 2 to 3 fellows per year, with most fellows projected to receive support for a third year of training. This program is conducted at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) and at the Health Sciences Division of Columbia University, by faculty members of Columbia. With a total of over eighty million dollars annually in federal grants, a research institute with 64 beds (including a 12 bed designated schizophrenia inpatient research unit funded by NYS at NYSPI), a foundation-funded schizophrenia center grant, a Hughes Institute, and 5 MHCRCs, there exists in the Columbia Department of Psychiatry the research personnel and clinical facilities to continue to execute this proposed training program, which has had excellent success in its training efforts thus far. Schizophrenia is a devastating illness and a major public health problem. It is estimated that 0.8% of the population develops this disorder, and that one quarter of all hospital beds are occupied by such patients. The illness typically diminishes or destroys the patients' capabilities for productive work. Though treatment advances have been made, most patients remain severely incapacitated. In addition to the personal terror, confusion and misery which it produces, there is a tremendous stress on family members and immense costs to society.