This application is a competitive renewal of a training grant (MH15442) that has been in progress for the past 27 years in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. We are requesting five years of support for a total of eight postdoctoral trainees (four new per year). The training program is normally two years in duration. As part of the new national plan in child psychiatry education, one position per year will be identified specifically for research training for a child psychiatrist. During the past 27 years, we have graduated 96 young scientists from this research training program, 25 of whom are MDs, and 71 (74 %) of whom are still actively involved in research and/or academic careers. Trainee candidates are MDs or PhDs trained in an area that is relevant to the proposed research program. Most often this will include physicians trained in psychiatry, child psychiatry or pediatrics, and PhDs trained in psychology, anthropology, molecular biology, neuroimaging, or genetics. Recruitment is national, and special efforts are in place for the recruitment of under-represented minorities. Our faculty consists of 21 scientists and a two member Senior Advisory Board. A core curriculum includes bi-weekly Developmental Psychobiology Research Group (DPRG) seminars with associated post-doc lunches, an ethics seminar series, a grant writing seminar, biennial DPRG retreats, and elective components targeted individually to each trainee depending upon their needs. Research training opportunities in the laboratories of the faculty include training in cognitive, emotional, and perceptual development in normal and high-risk infants and children, biochemical and pharmacological studies of brain maturation, neuropsychological and genetic studies of dyslexia, studies of developmental disability in autism, early affective regulation of chronically ill pediatric patients, molecular biology of schizophrenia, behavioral endocrinology and immunology in humans and animal models, genetic parameters in developmental disabilities, animal models of mental illness, and functional and structural neuroimaging of mental disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. The Department of Psychiatry has in place a 3T GE MRI and Magnes 3600 248-channel whole-head MEG system, both dedicated to research. Faculty provide access to special clinical populations, including autistic and psychotic children, premature and newborn infant and adolescent populations, children with other psychiatric disorders, research diagnosed psychotic patients, children and family members of schizophrenic subjects, children with genetically determined developmental disabilities, and learning disordered populations. Trainees completing this program will be able to assume the role of an independent investigator in one or more of the multiple areas encompassed by the training program.
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