This revised, A1, application describes the current and proposed configurations of the University of Connecticut Health Center's (UCHC) Postdoctoral Training Program in Alcohol Research. The Program is designed to provide 4 trainees per year with a common knowledge base in alcohol theory, research design, data analysis strategies (e.g., SEM and HLM), ethical issues in preclinical and clinical research, and grantsmanship skills. In addition, more intensive individual training, concordant with the specialized interests of each trainee, is provided in such areas as neurobiology, neuroimaging, early childhood risk factors, genetic and family studies, women's health, treatment, comorbid disorders, longitudinal outcome studies of at-risk populations, and daily process studies. The range of experiences available to our trainees aligns closely with the range of NIAAA P60, U10, and R01 grant support awarded to our faculty. Over the past 10 yrs, our program has matured. It has not grown in size. Its Director has also not changed. Yet, over time, we have seen a real change in the outcomes of our trainees. For example, the proportion of Training Program graduates who obtained faculty or faculty-equivalent positions increased from 4 of the 13 graduates during 1995-2000, to 11 of the 12 graduates during 2000-2005, to 6 of the 6 graduates during 2005-2011. Publication productivity has also improved. The number of full length articles authored or co-authored by trainees during and after the training period now averages 3.84 articles (median=3.6) per trainee per year. We think that the 31-year history of the Postdoctoral Training Program in Alcohol Research at UCHC should be extended. The Program offers a unique opportunity for the training of a future generation of alcohol researchers focusing on a variety of clinically relevant topics. Our record to date suggests that graduates of this program have been successful in manuscript and grant submissions, and are able to function effectively in a variety of settings relevant to alcohol research.
The UCHC Program offers a unique opportunity for the training of a future generation of alcohol researchers focusing on a variety of topics relevant to the public health. The training experience is closely aligned with the etiology and treatment themes of our Alcohol Research Center. Our Program also offers opportunities for studying factors that mediate or moderate etiology and treatment response.
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