Research Career Institute in Mental Health of Aging (CIMA)

University Of Vermont & St Agric College, Burlington VT

Investigators

Abstract

This is the 1st competing renewal application of this R25 National Research Mentoring Network Program. The application proposes to continue the Research Career Institute in the Mental Health of Aging (CIMA) to promote the development of early career investigators focused on aging and mental health. CIMA responds directly to the 2012 IOM Report, which emphasized that “without major innovations and reforms, the near doubling of the number of older adults in need… will entirely overwhelm existing capacity and services”. To address the research work force component of this mental health crisis, CIMA is designed to promote the research careers of promising junior faculty, post-residency and post-doctoral scholars interested in 1) Mechanisms and developmental trajectories of mental health pathology of mid- and late-life; 2) Development of mechanism-informed efficacious treatment and prevention models for aging-related mental health needs; and 3) Effective delivery of mental health services to the aging community. This R25 application has been transformed in response to scientific advancements and mentoring developments, current National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAESM) proceedings and current NIH priorities. CIMA’s aims are to help mentees clarify and pursue their research focus, develop and maintain requisite skills and productivity, and acquire mentorship needed for a research career supported by competitive funding. CIMA is a year-long mentoring program for 16 to 20 mentees at the postdoctoral and new faculty stage that entails a 5-day in-person Immersion Seminar; matching trainees with mentors during a one-year program focusing on both research content and career planning; and a web-based infrastructure to support ongoing, distance mentoring, professional networking, and information exchange. The program will be co-directed by NIH-funded investigators with scientific expertise in aging and with a strong record in both local and national research mentorship. CIMA’s strengths include 1) a leadership team with organizational experience gained through service in the previous CIMA funding period as well as other national mentoring networks and professional organizations; 2) a strong track record from the initial funding period; 3) a committed faculty of multidisciplinary mid-career and senior NIH-funded investigators with a successful record in research mentorship who are well-versed in the field’s scientific developments and guided by NIH Strategic Priorities; and 4) the recognition that aging-related illnesses and stressors that frequently present in mid-life often evolve into aging related mental health disorders, a concept that can inform both treatment and prevention research.