Predoctoral Training in Multifaceted Translational Approach to Mental Illness

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Mental disorders are among the most common causes of disability, and the disease burden is among the highest of all illnesses. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop not only novel therapeutic approaches but also the next generation of research scientists who can meet the challenges of the growing field of mental health research. The overarching goal of this “Predoctoral Training in a Multifaceted Translational Approach to Mental Illness (AMI)” program (Adrienne Lahti, MD, and Yogesh Dwivedi, PhD as Directors) is to provide the students with an environment of cross-cultural training where they will be exposed to the clinical challenges, biological mechanisms, and cutting-edge research approaches used across mental illnesses, rather than the kind of single- disease training they might obtain by working in an individual research laboratory. The AMI T32 training program will uniquely provide an interdisciplinary training environment that will integrate basic and translational research training of predoctoral students to foster the development of critical thinking, communication, and in-depth research skills. Built on a strong foundation and supported by a large infrastructure of outstanding basic, translational, and multidisciplinary programs in mental health research, the AMI training program will take advantage of interdisciplinary mental health research investigative efforts led by strong, internationally renowned clinical and educational resources within the UAB Department of Psychiatry, dynamic mental health research efforts by the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, university-wide interdisciplinary initiatives of the UAB Depression and Suicide Center, the Comprehensive Center for Translational Sciences, and UAB graduate programs within the thematically based Graduate Biomedical Sciences and the Psychology Doctoral Program affiliated with the Department of Psychology. The collaborative environment at UAB, embodied by various cores, centers, programs, and departments, will provide extensive support for invigorating research efforts. The training program is requesting three predoctoral training slots per year and will take advantage of well-established best practices for the successful recruitment of underrepresented minorities and individuals with disabilities. The plan will include required didactic courses, laboratory and clinical research, journal clubs, seminars, scientific presentations both locally and at national meetings, and training in the responsible conduct of research. Trainees will also benefit from courses on grant writing and professional skills development. Together, the trainee and mentoring team will craft an individual development plan. Internal and External Advisory Committees will evaluate the overall performance of the AMI training program. A series of benchmarks for progress will be formulated for each trainee and mentor and reviewed on a semi-annual basis. As a top 25 NIH-funded academic medical center with state-of-the-art scientific core facilities and university-wide, interdisciplinary research centers, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is remarkably well-positioned to cultivate a new generation of translational scientists who will advance and transform mental health research.