application) The mission of the UCLA Dementia and Behavioral Neurology Research Fellowship (DRF) is to develop clinician-scientists with expertise in dementia and geriatric neurology research. The DRF consists of a structured curriculum of research experiences, didactic courses and seminars, and clinical forums to provide the trainees with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to pursue research careers. There have been 29 DRF graduates; five individuals are currently in training; and two have been accepted to begin the program 7/1/97. NIA support began in 1988 and funds one first-year and one second- year Fellow. There have been eight NIA-funded graduates; two are currently in training; and one has been accepted to begin 7/1/97. A Minority supplement award was added beginning 1/1/97 to support an African-American Fellow identified after completion of the regular application process. Fellows participate in three required didactic sessions (Neuroscience Seminar, Research Design Course, Advances in Dementia Seminar) and have other courses and seminars available on an elective basis. They participate in several types of research (clinical trials, epidemiology, descriptive studies, scale development and application, neuroimaging, neuropathology, etc.) in the course of the Fellowship and they lead one research effort with the mentorship of a faculty member. Data collection, management and analysis along with research reporting and ethical conduct of research are emphasized. Clinical expertise is gained through supervised clinics, in-patient consultation, and observation of experienced faculty members. There are 7 core faculty members, one with a Ph.D. in neuropsychology and six with fellowship-level training in behavioral neurology; there are 10 supporting faculty that make important contributions to the Fellowship. An internal Steering Committee and an External Advisor help the director and co-director guide the program. Formal written evaluations, continuous informal evaluations, the record of publications, and the accomplishments of the graduates all provide measures of program success. Of the 29 graduates of the program, 16 are in full-time academic positions, 11 are in academically- affiliated positions, and 2 are in private practice. On completion of the Fellowship, graduates can perform comprehensive assessments, make research level diagnoses, develop a hypothesis-driven research agenda, choose scales and other assessment methodologies appropriate to the research question, manage and analyze data, write publishable reports, and prepare research proposals. They have the skills to successfully transition from Fellow to junior faculty member and independent investigator. The program has an ample number of applicants and seeks continuation of funding for one first-and one second-year physician fellow.
| Victoroff, J; Ross, G W; Benson, D F et al. (1994) Posterior cortical atrophy. Neuropathologic correlations. Arch Neurol 51:269-74 |
