Research Education in Statistical Genetics of Substance Abuse

描述(由申请人提供)：本申请寻求国家药物滥用研究所R25机制在弗吉尼亚联邦大学(VCU)弗吉尼亚精神病学和行为遗传学研究所(VIPBG)的博士后和博士后研究职位的支持。这一研究教育计划的总体目标是提供一个环境，鼓励在最高水平上发展和应用统计遗传学。为了实现这一目标，将制定统计遗传学的研究教育计划，以促进跨学科研究，这是NIDA使命的关键原则，我们认为这对开展该领域的研究至关重要。确定了两个研究重点：高级遗传流行病学和统计分子遗传学。这些领域是协同的，涉及各种不同的统计方法，既有目前使用的，也有正在制定的。研究教育项目由博士后和博士后两部分组成。博士前学员将攻读人类和分子遗传学或生物统计学学位。这一构成部分的目的是在职业生涯最早的时候招募潜在的未来研究人员，从事侧重于药物使用、滥用和依赖(SUAD)的统计遗传学研究。其目的是创造一批博士毕业生，他们在研究培训开始时就已经广泛接触并开始发表这一领域的研究成果。博士后部分认识到，许多有前途的年轻研究人员在与药物使用和滥用的统计遗传学有关的领域接受过培训，但不是重点。这一灵活的2-3年博士后培训部分将有助于指导年轻研究人员进入这一研究领域，并将为他们提供综合和有重点的培训，使他们能够从事统计遗传学方面的工作。研究教育是为经过数学、统计学、生物统计学、遗传学、心理学或药理学培训的个人以及那些已完成医学硕士学位临床要求的人而设计的。博士后部分的目标是教育独立研究人员，他们将有助于确定和确定SUAD的遗传和环境决定因素的特征；预计他们将在VCU和全国其他机构这样做。为了实现总体计划目标，我们将：i)提供并仔细监控 具有一系列研究机会的多学科综合研究培训方案；ii)满足苏阿德新兴研究领域的培训需求；iii)为以下研究人员提供培训 不同的学术和种族背景和密集的指导；iv)提供一个专门的课程，该课程将结合我们机构在SuAD研究方面的优势；v)通过教学讲习班和建立一个具有网络广播、播客节目和剧本资料库的网站，向更广泛的社区传播课程材料、开发的软件、用户指南和范例剧本。公共卫生相关性：该项目寻求NIDA R25物质滥用统计遗传学研究教育项目的支持。两名博士后和三名博士后参与者将继续学习统计遗传学的个性化培训课程，并参与弗吉尼亚联邦大学弗吉尼亚精神病学和行为遗传学研究所的积极研究项目。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse R25 mechanism for pre-doctoral and postdoctoral research positions at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The overall goal of this research education program is to provide an environment that encourages the development and application of statistical genetics at the highest levels. To accomplish this goal, a research education program in statistical genetics will been developed to foster interdisciplinary research, a key tenet of the NIDA mission, and which we believe is essential to conducting research in this field. Two areas of research focus are identified: Advanced Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Molecular Genetics. These areas are synergistic and address a diverse variety of statistical methods, both those in current use and those under development. The research education program consists of pre-doctoral and postdoctoral components. Pre-doctoral participants will pursue degrees in either Human and Molecular Genetics or Biostatistics. This component is designed to recruit, at the earliest time in their careers, potential future investigators to research in statistical genetics focused on substance use, abuse and dependence (SUAD). The aim is to create a cohort of PhD graduates who are have been extensively exposed to, and begun to publish research in, this area at the outset of their research training. The postdoctoral component recognizes that many promising young researchers have training in areas relevant to, but not focused on, the statistical genetics of substance use and abuse. This flexible 2-3 year postdoctoral training component will help guide young investigators to this field of study and will provide them with integrated and focused training that will enable them to pursue careers in statistical genetics of SUAD. Research education is intended for individuals with training in mathematics, statistics, biostatistics, genetics, psychology or pharmacology and to those who have completed their clinical requirements for the MD degree. The goal of the postdoctoral component is to educate independent investigators who will contribute to the efforts to identify and characterize the genetic and environmental determinants of SUAD; they are expected to do so at VCU and at other institutions nationwide. To accomplish the overall program goal we will: i) Offer and carefully monitor a multidisciplinary integrated research training program with a range of research opportunities; ii) Meet the needs for training in emerging research areas in SUAD; iii) Provide training to researchers from diverse academic and ethnic backgrounds and intensive mentoring; iv) Provide a specialized curriculum that will merge strengths in SUAD research at our institution; and v) Disseminate course materials, developed software, user guides and example scripts to the wider community by teaching workshops and establishing a website with web casts, pod casts and script libraries. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project seeks support from the NIDA R25 research education program in statistical genetics of substance abuse. Two pre-doctoral and three postdoctoral participants will pursue individualized courses of training in statistical genetics, and participate in active research projects in the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University.