RECRUITMENT OF UNDERGRADUATES FOR MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH

本申请（以及对题为“心理健康教育赠款”的方案公告的回应）要求为R-25方案提供竞争性的继续支持，“招募心理健康研究的本科生”，该方案作为试点项目获得了三年的NIMH初始资金，并已连续第四年获得免费行政延期。 该计划是精神病学系与匹兹堡大学和卡内基梅隆大学的神经科学，生物科学，心理学和化学系之间的合作努力。 它提供了一个为期12个月的密集研究教育经验，以有才华的本科科学专业谁寻求学士后培训，准备在心理健康相关的研究事业。最终目标是确定在科学方面有天赋的特别有才华的学生，并招募他们从事心理健康研究。 这个独特的本科研究教育计划包括在临床或基础科学实验室进行为期一年的实践研究经验，对与心理健康或精神障碍直接相关的科学问题进行监督研究;教学教育计划，以临床神经科学和精神病学课程为特色;以及在西部精神病研究所和诊所（WPIC）为期十周的暑期课程，提供精神病学的临床护理，临床研究讲座，以及参观临床实验室和设施。 该计划代表了NIMH不断努力促进临床和基础科学研究人员之间积极合作的一个及时的例子，在这种情况下，在本科科学学生的教育。 它充分利用了相关机构的非凡优势，以及他们过去在教育和研究项目上持续成功的跨学科合作。 该计划的试点阶段提供了可行性和有效性的证据，在识别和招募有才华的本科生进入心理健康研究教育计划，以及在本科生的教育中的高级临床研究人员的热情参与。 我们建议在今后五年内继续开展这一方案，扩大招聘工作，以便：增加受训学生的数量和多样性，进一步发展和完善课程，并继续评估该方案的短期和长期成果-在受训人员完成其研究项目、成功发表研究成果、以及随后的职业决定和选择-在大学毕业后五年期间的年度后续评价中

This application (and response to the Program Announcement, entitled "Mental Health Education Grants") requests competing continuation support for the R-25 program, "Recruitment of Undergraduates for Mental Health Research" that received three years of initial NIMH funding as a pilot project and has been continued for a fourth year with a no-cost administrative extension. This program is a collaborative effort between the Department of Psychiatry and the Departments of Neuroscience, Biological Sciences, Psychology and Chemistry of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. It provides a 12-month intensive research education experience to talented undergraduate science majors who seek post-baccalaureate training in preparation for careers in mental health-relevant research. The ultimate goal is to identify exceptionally talented students who have an aptitude in the sciences and recruit them to careers in mental health research. This unique undergraduate research education program consists of a practical research experience in a clinical or basic science laboratory for one full year, conducting supervised research on a scientific question with direct relevance to mental health or mental disorders; a didactic educational program featuring courses in clinical neuroscience and psychiatry; and a ten-week summer program at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) that provides exposure to clinical care in psychiatry, lectures in clinical research, and visits to a clinical labs and facilities. The program represents a timely example of the NIMH's continuing effort to promote active collaboration between clinical and basic science researchers, in this case in the education of undergraduate science students. It capitalizes on the extraordinary strengths of the institutions involved and their past and continuing successful inter-disciplinary collaboration on educational and research programs. The pilot stage of this program offers evidence of feasibility and effectiveness in identifying and recruiting talented undergraduate students into a mental health research education program, as well as the enthusiastic participation of senior clinical researchers in the education of undergraduate students. We propose to continue this program with an expanded recruitment effort over the next five years to: increase the number and diversity of students trained, further develop and refine the curriculum, and continue to evaluate short- and longer-term outcomes of the program--in terms of trainees' completion of their research projects, successful publication of research findings, and their subsequent career decisions and choices--at annual follow-up evaluations over a period of five years following their university graduation