Research Training in Mental Health Services and Systems

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This competing continuation application requests funding for the 14th thru 19th years (2003-2009) of an institutional training program in mental health services and systems research co-sponsored by the leading public and private universities in the southeastern US--the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University--that are located within ten miles of each other in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Training occurs at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research (Sheps Center) at UNC-CH and the Department of Psychiatry at the Duke University Medical Center (DUMC). The Training Program for social/behavioral scientists and clinicians seeking advanced training in mental health services research has two components: (1) core activities and (2) individualized study. The core component involves a weekly research seminar, participation in departmental seminars and grand rounds at the collaborating institutions, and other research seminars/workshops at UNC-CH or Duke. The individualized study component is tailored to the special interests and needs of each fellow and their prior experience. It is based on an apprentice-type model whereby each fellow is linked to one or more mentor(s) who works with the fellow to develop his/her own research and skill development program. This interdisciplinary training has been highly successful to date: (1) a total of twenty eight fellows have received training; most now hold academic or other research positions, have numerous publications, and funded research projects; (2) the participating faculty has grown by 227% (from 11 to 25 persons); (3) the program's externally-funded research grants portfolio at the two universities has expanded tremendously from about $2.2 million to over $8 million; and (4) relationships have been nurtured and expanded to state and local mental health agencies in North Carolina and other states throughout the country. Given the continued success of this program and growth in faculty resources, authorization is requested to add a predoctoral component to the training program in collaboration with the UNC-CH Departments of Health Policy and Administration in the School of Public Health and Department of Public Policy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In addition to the five postdoctoral slots currently funded each year, a total of four new predoctoral positions (with staggered enrollments) are requested over the next five years.