Brain-Body-Behavior Interface in Learning and Development Across the Lifespan

Brandeis University, Waltham MA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Funds are requested to support three trainees per year over a five year period for training in the interface of behavioral and biomedical sciences. The core training faculty are from the Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program at Brandeis University. Affiliated faculty are from the Brandeis Life Sciences and adjunct faculty are from collaborating laboratories in the Greater Boston area. The faculty of this training program are firmly committed to educating students to study human behavioral health and development in terms of multi-directional, dynamic interactions among the biological building blocks of the body and brain and the emergent properties of whole individuals and groups of individuals. The training program we propose will be implemented within a Psychology Ph.D. program with strong, existing, intra- and inter-disciplinary research training, course work, and extra-curricular activities. Students in the training program will be required to fulfill the following requirements: 1) engage in rotations and research projects co-mentored by one or more faculty working in both psychological and biomedical disciplines;2) take courses from menus of psychological, biomedical, and general quantitative categories;3) attend a variety of integrative proseminars and small and large group colloquium/discussion series;4) participate in short courses during the academic year and the summer designed to promote unity and to provide advanced training in biomedical or computational techniques. Non-trainee Ph.D. students will also be encouraged to fulfill these requirements. Full participation of Psychology students in biomedical laboratories is a challenge which will be met by systematic introduction of these curricular elements as well as by selection of qualified candidates. The adherence to and evaluation of the training program will be ensured by 1) annual internal reviews by the full core faculty of students'fulfillment of their goals as set out in a "contract" co-developed with the mentors;2) annual reviews of the core faculty's guardianship by an internal steering committee and an external review committee;3) feedback from students currently in the program and students who have graduated. Our general approach to recruitment of students will be through direct outreach and networking. To recruit and retain minority students, we will build upon the successful methods of our colleagues who are directing successful training grants in Psychology and Life Sciences at Brandeis Relevance: Integration of behavioral and biomedical sciences is essential for generating new knowledge about human mental health and disease. Training a new generation of scholars who have command of psychological, behavioral, and biomedical conceptual and methodological tools will help promote health and prevent and treat psychological and physical disorders