Stuart T. Hauser Research Training Program in Biological and Social Psychiatry

Judge Baker Children'S Center, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This submission is a competitive renewal of a T32 Institutional Training grant, entitled The Stuart T. Hauser Research Training Program in Biological and Social Psychiatry. It ends in the 42nd year of a very successful post-doctoral program for MDs, PhDs, and MD/PhDs. Drs. Hauser and McCarley provided leadership from its inception and Drs. Shenton, a former trainee, joined as Associate Director in 1994, and became PI in 2008. Dr. Marek Kubicki is joining as multiple principal investigator for this submission. We will continue this intentionally broad, interdisciplinary psychiatry program, which fits well with NIMH’s mission to “transform our understanding of mental illnesses” and “to pave the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.” The rationale is quite clear – to train the most outstanding young investigators, and to equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in developing their own research careers in biological and/or social psychiatry, and to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent and possibly cure mental illness. We follow NIMH’s mission to “foster innovative thinking” and to ensure “an array of novel scientific perspectives” used “to further discovery in the evolving science of brain, behavior, and experience.” The program is interdisciplinary and has a cornerstone weekly 1.5-hour seminar that includes a 3-month grants module to demystify the grant process. Issues relevant to the ethical and reproducible conduct of research are discussed as are the development of skills needed for a successful clinical research career. Trainees present their work, and invited speakers discuss their research careers. Trainees work with outstanding preceptors in their chosen field to further develop their expertise, and to ensure the best training possible to support individual initiated investigator research. There are 38 preceptors, across multiple research areas and sites, who help to evaluate candidates and serve as mentors. Trainees devote two years to the program with the goal they leave with the skills needed to conduct independent research or join established clinical research teams as junior colleagues. In the current grant cycle (4 years), trainees received 26 awards during their time in the T32. Some examples include: 1 NIMH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award, 2 NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment awards, 5 Society Travel awards, 3 Best Poster awards at conferences, 2 Harvard Medical School Livingston Awards, 1 Postdoctoral Excellence in Mentoring Award, 1 Visionary Grant Award from the American Psychological Foundation, 1 McLean Hospital Presidential Award, and 1 Alkemes Pathways Research Award, among others. Program Advisory Committee members and Fellows evaluate the program each year to help improve it.