Research Training Programs
The Department of Psychiatry has a longstanding tradition of pre- and
postdoctoral research training in psychiatric epidemiology, statistics,
psychology, clinical psychiatric research, and behavioral medicine. Resources
are available to research trainees studying the entire life span from early
childhood to old age. The resources are coordinated by the program directors of
the postdoctoral fellowships in Adult Psychiatry, Child Psychiatry, and
Psychology. These three programs share in the development and presentation of an
ongoing weekly seminar for postdoctoral fellows that focuses on professional
development and research survival skills.
Recent innovations within these training programs include: 1) expanded
support for medical students, who are eligible for summer research stipends in
the programs in general adult, geriatric, and child psychiatry and for a full
year of support in the geriatric psychiatry program; and 2) the creation of the
first Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Career Development Institute (CDI),
a 2˝-day workshop held in July 2002 for 16 young physician scientists from
diverse settings across the United States under the auspices of our R25 Junior
Faculty Scholars Program. We plan to continue the CDI on an annual basis, and we
have submitted an R13 conference grant to NIMH to provide ongoing support for
this initiative.
The Department's goal is to educate and train clinical investigators who will
go on to develop new approaches to the study of brain-behavior relationships,
continuing the pursuit of psychobiologic and genetic mechanisms underlying
mental disorders and substance abuse. Clinicians are encouraged to develop and
evaluate new approaches to treatment and prevention and to examine the impact of
alternate care delivery systems on treatment. Conceptually, the various training
programs within the Department of Psychiatry reflect an emphasis on
comprehensiveness, balance, and integration of various scientific approaches and
systems. The programs foster collaborative relationships, while overcoming
interdisciplinary barriers and embracing the contributions of all disciplines
for the understanding, treatment, and prevention of mental and addictive
disorders. A brief description of each program follows. Many of these
training programs recruit throughout the year. For specific information
related to recruitment deadlines and available positions, please contact the
individual designated for each program.
ALCOHOL RESEARCH TRAINING
The Alcohol Research Training Program prepares postdoctoral trainees for
careers in alcohol research. Research in alcohol requires investigators who are
trained in the most current and sophisticated methods of both epidemiology and
biostatistics and who understand the application of these methodologies to the
specific questions raised in alcohol research. This is accomplished by direct
training experience on research projects with training grant faculty members who
act as mentors and who are also active researchers. This program represents
collaboration between the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine and
the Department of Epidemiology in the Graduate School of Public Health. This
training experience is also supported by relevant coursework in epidemiology,
statistics, medicine, and psychology. Each postdoctoral fellow has the option of
completing a Masters of Public Health through the Graduate School of Public
Health during their training period.
The learning objectives are to train postdoctoral students and health
professionals in the epidemiology of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems; to
train postdoctoral students and health professionals in the application of
biostatistics and research methodology to specific alcohol research questions;
to provide exposure to the breadth of research in alcohol studies; to encourage
trainees to investigate a topic in alcohol research under the sponsorship of an
active research investigator in the area of alcohol studies; and to prepare
trainees to move toward independent research goals and research funding. Two
postdoctoral stipends are available each year.
Click here for a detailed description of this program.
Contact: Marie D. Cornelius, Ph.D.
(412) 681-3482
CARDIOVASCULAR BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE
RESEARCH TRAINING
This one- to three-year program for physicians,
third- and fourth-year residents, and PhD's focuses on
research methods, cardiovascular psychopathology,
epidemiology of cardiovascular disease, and behavioral
disease factors. The multifaceted training combines
didactic and laboratory work with opportunities for
research-oriented patient contact. Each fellow is
encouraged to expand his or her independent research
interests in close association with several behavioral
medicine faculty members. The training program sponsors
an annual health psychology/behavioral medicine poster
session and urges fellows to participate in the
Pittsburgh Mind-Body Center Summer Institute. Five
predoctoral stipends and five postdoctoral stipends are
available each year.
Click here for a detailed description of this
program.
Contact: Karen A. Matthews, Ph.D.
/
www.wpic.pitt.edu/behavioralmedicine
(412) 246-5950
CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN ADULT
PSYCHIATRY
This two-year program provides
psychiatrists and PhD's with a strong foundation in the
research techniques and methodologies of translational,
clinical, and mental health services investigation and
offers rigorous training in biological, behavioral, and
social sciences. Fellows work closely with
internationally recognized basic, clinical, and mental
health services researchers, who serve as mentors and
offer individual attention. Fellows select specific
research projects in which to participate as full
members of the research team throughout their fellowship
and are encouraged to develop and conduct original
projects under the direction of the principal
investigator. Seven postdoctoral stipends and four
summer stipends for medical students are available each
year.
CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN CHILD PSYCHIATRY
This two-year program provides psychiatrists and PhD's with a strong
foundation in the research techniques and methodologies of clinical
investigation in child psychiatry and offers rigorous training in biological and
social sciences. Fellows work closely with internationally recognized
researchers, who serve as mentors and offer individual attention. Fellows select
specific research projects in which to participate as full members of the
research team throughout their fellowships and are encouraged to develop and
conduct original projects on child and adolescent mental disorders under the
direction of a supervising faculty member. Eight postdoctoral stipends and four
summer stipends for medical students are available each year.
Contact: David A. Brent, M.D.
(412) 246-5596
(412) 246-5344 (fax)
CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN GERIATRIC
PSYCHIATRY
This is a two-year program for post-residency psychiatrists and
PhD's in the behavioral and neurosciences. The goal of this training program is
to develop outstanding researchers in late-life mood disorders who can
communicate and function effectively at the interface of clinical and basic
neuroscience and/or geriatric mental health services research. The program is
grounded in the Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research in
Late-Life Mood Disorders but also draws upon the resources of the Alzheimer's
Disease Research Center in order to enhance the access of fellows to basic
biological and neuroscience laboratories. Fundamental training components
include structured rotations, apprenticeship with a mentor, course work,
development of core skills and knowledge through participation in a weekly
seminar on research survival skills, exposure to a broad range of
interdisciplinary research, and development of mentoring experience through role
modeling to medical students. Six postdoctoral stipends, four summer stipends
for medical students, and one year-long stipend for a medical student interested
in taking a research leave are available each year.
Contact: Charles F. Reynolds, III, M.D. /
http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/research/depr/default.htm
(412) 246-6413 or
Eric J. Lenze, M.D.
(412) 246-6007
CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS
This two-year program, which follows the predoctoral internship in clinical
psychology, provides psychologists with advanced training in the conceptual and
pragmatic research skills required to conduct clinical research in an
interdisciplinary setting. Fellows participate in an intensive research
apprenticeship with an established clinical investigator. This apprenticeship
typically includes several elements: the design and implementation of
independent projects under the supervision of the mentor; the analysis and
reporting of results from archival data, providing opportunities to learn new
quantitative skills; and advanced clinical and didactic training relevant to the
fellow's research interests. The program has a strong commitment to minority
training with the aim of increasing the number of minority clinical
investigators. Four postdoctoral stipends are available each year.
Click here for a detailed description of this
program.
Contact: Paul A. Pilkonis, Ph.D.
(412) 246-5833 or
Marsha D. Marcus, Ph.D.
(412) 246-6371
PSYCHIATRIC EPIDEMIOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAM
This fellowship program, jointly sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh
Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology, offers comprehensive training in
epidemiology and biostatistics, with a focus on psychiatric disorders. Pre- and
postdoctoral fellows engage in a didactic curriculum and independent research.
Fellows receive firsthand research experience through participation in field
projects within the area of psychiatric epidemiology. The program funds two
predoctoral fellows and two postdoctoral fellows each year.
Click here for a detailed description of this program.
Contact: Gale A. Richardson, Ph.D.
(412) 681-3482
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN
SLEEP MEDICINE
The objective of this NHILB-funded
Program is to develop the next generation of sleep
medicine researchers using a multidisciplinary,
translational approach. Emphasis is placed on the
acquisition of sleep research skills, development of
research questions and protocols, publication of
peer-reviewed papers, and submission of a career
development grant application to the National Institutes
of Health. By the conclusion of the fellowship,
trainees will have the skills necessary to begin their
faculty career in academic sleep medicine.
The core of the training program is
mentored research conducted in the laboratories of the
sleep medicine faculty. Each fellow will have one
primary and one secondary faculty mentor to provide a
broader perspective on his/her research. Rapid
immersion to both animal and human sleep research will
be provided to all trainees during an initial 4-week
“basic training.” These activities will be supplemented
by individually-selected courses in the Schools of
Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh;
regularly-scheduled seminars and lectures in sleep
medicine; and participation in a research training
“survival skills” course.
Three postdoctoral stipends and three
summer stipends for medical students are available each
year.
Contact: Daniel J. Buysse, M.D.
http://www.sleep.pitt.edu
(412) 246-6451 |
