Clinical Research Training in Child Psychiatry

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is a competitive renewal of 5T32 MH18951-18, a postdoctoral clinical research training program in child mental health intervention and services research. Support is requested for 4 postresidency child psychiatrists, 4 post-doctoral child psychologists or other doctorally-prepared professionals, and four medical students for summer research electives. In the summer research program, medical students work with a research mentor from the training faculty on a project leading to a publishable product in order to stimulate interest in child psychiatry research. The postdoctoral training program aims to develop scientists who can formulate original and significant research that: (1) studies mechanisms of pathogenesis, persistence, and treatment response; (2) studies consumer, provider, and contextual determinants of intervention acceptability, effectiveness, and uptake; (3) translates basic research findings (e.g., (1) and (2) above) into clinical interventions; (4) identifies individual differences in treatment response that can lead to personalization and optimization of treatment; (4) implements effective interventions in community settings; and (5) studies strategies for the dissemination of effective treatments. A multi-disciplinary faculty group with a long and successful history of research and research training provides mentorship to trainees, with expertise in all of the above-noted areas. The foremost aspect of the program is the pairing of the trainee with an academically successful mentor committed to research training. The mentor involves the trainee in existing projects, provides access to data for secondary analyses, supervises the trainee in the development of publications and scientific presentations, and helps the trainee to develop a set of research questions and draft a research proposal that will lead to significant advances in the field and external funding (usually a career award). An individually tailored course of didactic study will be developed for each trainee to insure the acquisition of core knowledge in research design, statistics, and content areas relevant to research. Trainees also participate in ongoing seminars on "research survival skills," dealing with formulation of scientific questions, grant writing, ethical aspects of scientific conduct, and project management. During the current project period, we have graduated 10 trainees, of whom 9 all have, or have been offered faculty appointments, 8 have external funding, and 6 have career awards. Of 11 medical students who have entered the summer program, 9 have made a commitment to do a scholarly project in child psychiatry, and of 4 who have graduated, two have entered child psychiatry.