The proposed NRSA program will focus on training postdoctoral fellows in Mental Health Services Research. The proposed program is a five-year extension of the currently funded NRSA fellowship program at the Centers for Mental Healthcare Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The goal of the postdoctoral program is to produce accomplished researchers poised to lead independently funded studies in collaborative mental health services research environments. In support of this goal, trainees are immersed in a multidisciplinary program of mentored research, customized didactics, and supplemental formal and informal instruction. Trainees will represent a variety of disciplines such as psychiatry, nursing, psychology, sociology, social work, economics, and biostatistics. Producing new investigators builds and sustains the mental health research field. As one of the few large mental health services research groups in the nation and one of the few based on an academic health sciences campus, the Centers for Mental Healthcare Research offers a unique training opportunity for both physicians and non-physicians to learn the skills and knowledge to be successful as a mental health research investigator. The proposed program will include both common and specialized components to address similarities and differences in prior education, clinical experiences, and areas of competency that trainees bring to the program. Program components include mentored research activities and a core of four seminars developed specifically for the trainees. Faculty will individualize the academic and research opportunities for trainees to enhance their existing experience and research interests. In addition, trainees will receive individual mentoring to develop research proposals, papers, and grants applications. Three aspects of this competitive renewal are different from our submission 5 years ago and add to the depth and breadth of our training experience while preserving its essential nature. We propose to 1) add a psychiatry resident research experience in order to attract more physicians into the field, 2) more fully develop our mental health policy focus, and 3) extend and expand our coursework and capacity through the College of Public Health (COPH) located on our campus. Funding is requested for 2 Postdoctoral positions per year (2 FTE) and 4 three-month Research Residency Track fellows per year (1 FTE per year total). Efforts will be made to attract trainees who are committed to a career in mental health services research. Minority candidates will be actively sought through a number of programs and University initiatives.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter