US Psychiatric Genetics Research Training Program

描述(由申请者提供)：该培训基金的目标是为美国生物医学科学家(医学博士和博士)提供所需的技能，以研究美国拉丁裔人口中精神疾病的遗传基础。这一培训计划将建立在美国国立卫生研究院资助的几个关于拉美裔精神疾病的遗传学研究项目的基础上，这些项目是在德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥健康科学中心(UTHSCSA)的精神病学遗传学中心(PGC)进行的。我们目前有一个针对哥斯达黎加心理健康专业人员的精神病学遗传学培训计划(由NIMH和Fogarty国际中心资助)。这笔赠款将使我们能够用哥斯达黎加科学家目前提供的同样广泛的培训计划来教育美国的研究人员，培训将涵盖五个主要领域：1)精神病学表型和内在表型的特征，2)应用于拉丁裔人口研究的文化能力，3)绘制和识别拉丁裔人口中易患精神疾病的基因的分子生物学方法和技术，4)对收集的数据进行统计分析，以及5)跨种族人群精神病学遗传学研究的伦理。该计划计划沿着三个轨道提供培训：轨道1，包括为期9个月的PGY III和IV精神病学住院医师培训。第二轨包括为精神病学家和/或心理学家(预计最近完成了他们的专业培训)提供2至3年的临床研究奖学金。第三轨道将包括为基础科学博士后实习生提供2至3年的培训。在完成培训后，学生将获得精神病学遗传学领域的专业知识，在拉美裔人群中进行伦理、有效的研究，并与美国和拉丁美洲的研究人员开展合作努力。我们目前培训资助申请的主要目标是培养一支能够在美国拉丁裔人口中设计和进行精神病学遗传学研究的调查队伍。该计划的具体目标如下。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this training grant is to provide U.S. biomedical scientists (MD and PhD) with the skills needed to study the genetic basis of mental illness in the American Latino population. This training program will build on several NIH funded genetics research projects on mental illnesses in Latinos being conducted at the Psychiatric Genetics Center (PGC) at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). We currently have a training program in psychiatric genetics for mental health professionals from Costa Rica (funded by the NIMH and the Fogarty International Center). This grant will enable us to educate U.S. based researchers with the same extensive training program currently available to Costa Rica scientists, training will cover five main areas: 1) Characterization of psychiatric phenotypes and endophenotypes, 2) Cultural competence as applied to research in Latino populations, 3) Molecular biology methods and techniques for the mapping and identification of genes which predispose to mental illness in the Latino population, 4) Statistical analysis of collected data and 5) Ethics of psychiatric genetics research with cross-ethnic populations. This program proposes to provide training along three tracks: Track 1 consisting of 9 months of training for PGY III and IV Psychiatry Residents. Track 2 consists of 2 to 3 year clinical research fellowships for Psychiatrists and/or Psychologists (expected to have recently completed their specialty training). Track 3 will consist of 2 to 3 years of training for basic science post-doctoral trainees. At the completion of their training, students will have acquired expertise in the field of Psychiatric Genetics, in conducting ethical, effective research with Hispanic populations and in developing collaborative endeavors with researchers from the U.S. and Latin America. The principal goal of our current training grant application is to develop a cadre of investigators with the ability to design and carry out psychiatric genetic research studies in the Latino population of the United States. Specific aims of the program follow.