INTEGRATIVE PREDOCTORAL TRAINING IN DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Trustees Of Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Abstract This proposal requests support for the third renewal of a highly successful, integrative pre-doctoral training program in the neuroscience of substance use disorder at Indiana University Bloomington. Despite substantial advances in understanding drug addiction within specific levels of analysis (e.g., behavioral, clinical, and molecular), the problem of substance use disorder will not be solved by focusing on a single level of analysis. If the next generation of researchers is to make meaningful progress, they must be well-rounded scientists with an appreciation that addiction is a multi-faceted problem, while possessing the flexibility to respond to and incorporate rapidly evolving technologies that will enable them to understand mechanisms and develop and implement treatments for substance use disorders. To prepare trainees for success in the next decade and beyond, our program emphasizes a team-driven, inter-disciplinary approach based on the translational model. Our program is successful because it brings together 17 core faculty members who are committed to integrative training and have a long history of collaboration on questions integral to substance use disorder research. They include senior and junior investigators, molecular neurobiologists, cognitive neuroscientists, clinical scientists, epidemiologists, and implementation scientists. They come from several departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Health, and most have joint appointments in the campus-wide Program in Neuroscience. Working together in state-of-the-art facilities, this group has access to a pool of highly talented trainees motivated to pursue careers in substance use disorder research. Our training program develops trainees by emphasizing three key components: integrative course work, translational research training, and professional skills development. Course work covers basic neuro- and psychopharmacology, provides an integrative view of biobehavioral processes in substance use disorders, and trains students in principles of dissemination and implementation science, ultimately delivering a translational perspective to theoretical and empirical knowledge. Research is guided by a mentor prioritizing one discipline (e.g., molecular/systems/cognitive/clinical neuroscience, clinical science, public health science), closely integrated with a co-mentor representing a complementary level of analysis. This integrative approach is reinforced through discussion groups, attendance at colloquia, and participation at national meetings. Instruction in ethical scientific behavior includes formal course work and campus workshops as well as specialized training led by a core faculty member who has many years of experience providing instruction in ethical issues unique to substance use research. Trainees also develop skills in grant writing, manuscript preparation, teaching, and community outreach. In short, our program combines and incorporates course work and research training aimed at integrating and translating bench, bedside, and community approaches to produce scientists well prepared for productive and transformative careers in substance use disorder research.