This training program is designed to train investigators in the basic skills needed to conduct clinical research with individuals who have schizophrenia or mood disorders. The program emphasizes four major research domains that are consistent with the research directions of the participating faculty: (1) cognitive and psychophysiological abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders and in their relatives, and the contributions of these core deficits to functional impairment, psychiatric symptoms, and treatment response; (2) psychosocial and environmental contextual factors in the course and outcome of schizophrenia and mood disorders and their relevance to treatment response; (3) development and evaluation of improved rehabilitative interventions for schizophrenia and mood disorders; and (4) evaluation of psychopharmacological interventions for symptoms and for cognitive deficits in these disorders. The program emphasizes training in the translation of behavioral science concepts and paradigms into clinical research on these disorders. The program has five components: (1) development by trainees of individual clinical research projects closely supervised by program mentors, (2) active participation in ongoing weekly core research seminar, (3) acquisition of skills in research assessment of diagnosis, clinical outcome, and functional outcome and in clinical research design, (4) training in the preparation of scientific presentations, publications, and research grant applications, and (5) academic course work appropriate to the selected research domains. There are two related training programs, one for predoctoral trainees who are students admitted to the Ph.D. program in clinical psychology at UCLA and a second for postdoctoral trainees. The latter program is available to persons who have received a Ph.D. in psychology or an M.D. followed by a psychiatric residency. Trainees are assigned to primary and secondary mentors who provide hands-on clinical research experience and facilitate development of research careers. ? ?
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