Mentoring in Patient-Oriented Neuroscience Research

Mclean Hospital, Belmont MA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: I am a clinical researcher and Director of the Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health at McLean Hospital. I am also an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. I have been continuously funded as a principal investigator (PI) to conduct NIAAA-sponsored patient-oriented research (POR) since 2004 and have been a collaborator and consultant on multiple NIH-sponsored grants. My research focuses on understanding adolescent brain development, risk for, and the underlying neurobiology of addiction and psychiatric disorders. During the first 5-year K24 period, I provided mentoring to 50 individuals ranging in rank from undergraduates through psychiatry residents and junior faculty. These mentees have achieved notable success, including publishing papers, submitting grant applications, and being promoted. I work in a rich environment for clinical research, which is ideal for providing mentoring in POR. As I receive no institutional support for mentoring and will be required to curtail mentoring efforts to assume significant non-research responsibilities, a K24 renewal will continue to provide protected time that would allow me to maintain and increase my intensive mentorship to trainees, and attract new research mentees to POR. My immediate and long-term career objectives are to continue characterizing neurobiological markers in addiction and psychiatric disorders, which will inform the development of new and effective treatments for alcohol use disorders and for individuals with dual diagnoses, and to train the next generation of investigators to develop the skills they require to effectively conduct POR. I remain committed to disseminating research findings (through publications, scientific lectures, and public outreach) and providing mentoring to trainees in public outreach, the goal of which is to provide education around alcohol research, which in turn will help prevention efforts and inform treatment interventions, to aid in the reduction of suffering due to alcohol use and abuse. The specific aims to be accomplished during the period of the award are to 1) provide substantive mentoring of junior investigators and trainees in POR (35%), with a focus on mentoring trainees dedicated to alcohol research; 2) continue and extend involvement in my POR (10%), and 3) advance my expertise in the content areas of adolescent comorbid psychopathology, clinical approaches in adolescent treatment, and conducting research in vulnerable adolescent and adult populations, including those with increased risks associated with early initiation of alcohol and other substance use and family history of alcohol use disorder and other psychiatric disorders (5%). Despite the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, these mentoring relationships have continued to grow, and trainees are making significant strides in their paths toward POR. I remain deeply committed to the continued training of a remarkable group of mentees, who are the future of addiction and psychiatry POR. Through intensive mentoring, I will enhance my POR by increasing my clinical perspectives and by incorporating psychoeducation initiatives and treatment intervention considerations into my POR initiatives.