This is a competitive renewal of a training program currently in its fourth year and proposes to continue the support of four predoctoral and four postdoctoral fellows per year. This training program is directed by Dr. Edward P. Riley of San Diego State University (SDSU) and co-directed by Dr. Sandra A. Brown of the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The training faculty consists primarily of individuals affiliated with the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. The Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) of SDSU/UCSD provides a unique opportunity for the training of doctoral students in the Science/Practitioner (Boulder) model. The program is guided by the conviction that a solid foundation in the science of psychology is essential for functioning by a modern clinical psychologist. Further, this scientific core, including the commitment to empirically based knowledge and the development of research skills is regarded to be basic in educating clinical psychologists. The environment for this training at both SDSU and UCSD is rich with resources, skilled mentors, ample research funding and a collegial atmosphere that encourages collaborative studies. The training is designed to prepare the fellows for careers in academic settings with encouraged specialization within the alcohol research field. This training encompasses a broad range of alcohol-related research including areas such as adolescent alcohol treatment, fetal alcohol effects and genetic influences on alcohol sensitivity. Predoctoral students receive didactic training in the behavioral sciences and in alcohol and substance abuse. In the first year they receive a varied research experience and then focus on a particular aspect of alcohol research where collaboration is encouraged. The postdoctoral fellows receive similar types of varied training with a more individualized approach, tailored to their needs and expectations within the broad field of alcohol research. Since our program began in 2002 we have undergone constant refinement and will continue to do so to best meet the needs of our trainees and of the field. However, we are pleased at the progress we have made during the past four years and our trainees are making their way in the academic world with success. Their training has provided them with the scientific rigor necessary to be successful academic researchers and the clinical skills to ask applicable and relevant questions regarding alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
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