This application seeks five years of additional funding for a post-doctoral training program in prevention science as applied to the field of alcohol studies. The proposed program will be administered by the Prevention Research Center (PRC), an NIAAA National Alcohol Research Center located in Oakland, California and by the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health (UCBSPH). The training program emphasizes the development of early career researchers leading to greater (1) knowledge of the nature, etiology and consequences of alcohol abuse/dependence and alcohol-related problems; (2) understanding of the spectrum of prevention strategies and the science base underlying these strategies; (3) knowledge of the complex methodologies and analytic strategies relevant to the study of prevention; and (4) sophistication in techniques associated with the evaluation of prevention programs, including assessing program fidelity and applicability in diverse settings and with diverse populations. The overall goal of the program is to provide early career scientists with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed as researchers in the field of prevention science. The program has the following specific aims: (1) To deliver a core curriculum to build expertise in prevention science as it relates to alcohol studies through a series of structured courses that address alcohol use and abuse, etiology, methodology, public health ethics, and human subjects protections; (2) To provide training within a trans-disciplinary environment through informal seminars structured around content and methodological areas and through participation in research in areas outside the trainees' primary areas of expertise; and (3) To facilitate each post-doctoral trainee's development as a researcher through intensive mentorship with program faculty, undertaking an independent research project, and participation in a grant writing practicum.
The PSRTP is unique in its potential to provide early career researchers with exposure to a variety of perspectives and research approaches. The program provides the broad, yet intense, training experiences necessary to give early career researchers the depth and breadth of conceptual understanding, theoretical and methodological sophistication, and practical knowledge and skills necessary to advance the field.
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