BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES TRAINING IN DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Since its inception in 1984, the Behavioral Science Training in Drug Abuse Research Program (BST) has become one of the nations largest NRSA training programs specializing in behavioral science research on drug abuse, AIDS, and crime. The BST program has trained 128 predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees-with nearly half of them being racial/ethnic minorities. This application requests authorization to maintain the current levels of appointments (7 postdoctoral and 9 predoctoral trainees) during each of Years 21 to 25. The BST program operates in a quasi-academic environment, and is operated by three collaborating institutions: Medical and Health Research Association of New York City, Inc. (MHRA), the grant administrator, National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI), the training site, and the Mailman School of Public Health (MSPH) at Columbia University, the university affiliate. Dr. Bruce D. Johnson directs a core faculty of 36 leading researchers from MHRA, NDRI, and MSPH, who provide highly structured and rigorous training for BST trainees. The mission of the BST program is to prepare behavioral scientists, especially from minority backgrounds, for careers in drug abuse research and allied fields. This is accomplished by (1) recruiting and appointing promising scientists, half from minority backgrounds, for traineeships; (2) providing advanced training in substantive topics and theory, research methods and 0ractices, and the ethical conduct of research; and (3) mentoring and advising trainees. Trainees regularly participate in supervised research--ample opportunities exist on well over 100 Federal grants/contracts of BST core faculty--and they conduct their own independent research. The BST program's success is evident in the significant contributions of its 112 graduates (including 44 predoctoral trainees who have received their doctorates) and 16 current fellows. Many of the former trainees have distinguished themselves through their research and publications--the number of publications by current and former BST trainees is estimated at over 750. BST trainees have written and received as PIs 17 NIH funded grants, been Co-investigators on 27 more NIH projects, and received over 75 grants from non-NIH funding sources.