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机制的支持，用于弗吉尼亚联邦大学（VCU）弗吉尼亚精神病学和行为遗传学研究所（VIPBG）的博士生和博士后研究职位。这个研究教育计划的总体目标是提供一个环境，鼓励统计遗传学在最高水平上的发展和应用。为了实现这一目标，统计遗传学的研究教育计划将被开发出来，以促进跨学科研究，这是NIDA使命的一个关键宗旨，我们认为这对开展这一领域的研究至关重要。确定了两个研究重点领域：高级遗传流行病学和统计分子遗传学。这些领域是协同的，涉及各种各样的统计方法，包括目前使用的和正在开发的统计方法。研究性教育项目由博士前和博士后组成。博士预科学员将攻读人类和分子遗传学或生物统计学学位。这个部分的目的是招募，在他们的职业生涯的早期，潜在的未来调查员研究统计遗传学集中在物质使用，滥用和依赖（SUAD）。其目的是培养一批博士毕业生，他们在研究培训之初就广泛接触并开始在这一领域发表研究成果。博士后部分承认，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相关的领域接受过培训，但并不关注这些领域。这个灵活的2-3年的博士后培训项目将帮助年轻的研究人员进入这个研究领域，并为他们提供综合的、有针对性的培训，使他们能够在SUAD的统计遗传学领域从事职业。研究型教育的对象是接受过数学、统计学、生物统计学、遗传学、心理学或药理学培训的个人，以及完成了医学博士学位临床要求的个人。博士后组成部分的目标是培养独立的研究人员，他们将为确定和描述SUAD的遗传和环境决定因素做出贡献；他们应该在VCU和全国其他机构这样做。为实现总体计划目标，我们将：i)提供并仔细监控a

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.