This application seeks renewal of the Prevention Science Research Training Program (PSRTP). The PSRTP was established in 2004 as a collaborative effort of the Prevention Research Center (PRC) of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and the School of Public Health of the University of California Berkeley. The PSRTP is designed to prepare early career researchers to apply prevention science to the reduction of alcohol misuse, dependence, and problems. The PSRTP takes a trans- disciplinary approach that emphasizes the professional development of early career researchers by providing training that leads to greater (1) knowledge of the nature, etiology and consequences of alcohol misuse, dependence and problems; (2) understanding of the spectrum of prevention strategies and the science underlying these strategies; (3) knowledge of the methodologies and analytic strategies relevant to the study of prevention; and (4) sophistication in techniques associated with the implementation and evaluation of prevention programs. The overarching goal of the PSRTP is to provide early career scientists with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the highly competitive research and academic environments that characterize prevention research. The PSRTP 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 misuse, etiology, methodology, responsible conduct of research, and protection of human subjects; (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, undertaking an independent research project, participating in a grant writing practicum, publishing, and engaging in professional development activities. The PSRTP achieves these aims through: (1) formal seminars; (2) intensive individual mentoring by senior faculty; (3) development and execution of yearly Individual Development Plans; (4) integration into an ongoing funded research program; (5) completion of an independent research project resulting in at least two sole or senior authored papers; (6) specialized training in qualitative and quantitative research methods and data analysis through guided study groups, formal coursework at the University of California Berkeley, and workshops and seminars at other institutions; (7) attending regular presentations on current research methods, topics, and findings at seminars and roundtables at PRC that are independent of the PSRTP seminars, and (8) participating in professional development activities.
The PSRTP is unique in its multi-disciplinary focus on prevention science as it relates to alcohol misuse, dependence, and related problems. 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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