This application proposes Andrew Leuchter, M.D., as a candidate for the Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award, to conduct his research and teaching activities at UCLA. There are five aims in this application: 1) to foster Dr. Leuchter's development as an investigator in geriatric psychiatry; 2) to facilitate the development at UCLA of research aimed at improved methods for diagnosis and assessment of demented patients; 3) to broaden involvement by faculty in psychiatry and other departments at UCLA in geriatric mental health research; 4) to enable Dr. Leuchter to train other researchers to utilize his skills and methods; and, 5) to disseminate his research findings to other academicians at UCLA.
These aims will be achieved through a five-part plan. First, Dr. Leuchter will conduct two studies during the term of his award: a) a study aimed at the development of computer-analyzed electroencephalography (CEEG) as a test for the differential diagnosis of dementia, and b) a study of psychological, social, and biological factors that may contribute to depression in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Second, he will pursue a program of structured academic courses and tutorials aimed at the development of his research skills. This program will include the study of biostatistics, clinical epidemiology, and electrophysiology. Third, as a member of the faculty, he will supervise residents on the geropsychiatry service, serve as an attending in two clinics where elderly psychiatric patients are seen, and train research fellows under the auspices of two NIMH training grants. Fourth, he will enhance his clinical skills by performing clinical and research evaluations on patients in the UCLA Geropsychiatry Clinic and the West Los Angeles VA (WLA-VA) Dementia Clinic. Fifth, he will participate as an instructor in seminars, case conferences, grand rounds, and other didactic programs of the UCLA and WLA-VA Hospitals as a means of disseminating his research findings throughout the academic setting. He also will be available as a consultant to other researchers in the institution.
