Despite the increasing attention given to interdisciplinary endeavors by NIH, researchers interested in substance abuse often find themselves isolated within their disciplines. In response to the apparent dearth of interdisciplinary training in substance abuse training, the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center was funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse in 1994 to train Pre-doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows in interdisciplinary, substance abuse research. This proposal represents a request for continued, five-year support of our current, interdisciplinary training program. A renewal of our current training program would continue our successful interdisciplinary research- training program. As of May 1998, we have awarded positions to 10 pre- doctoral and 10 postdoctoral candidates. A set of didactic as well as mentored training experiences ensures that our program is inclusive and cohesive-but flexible to the individual needs (and disciplines) of our trainees. Given the levels of NIDA funded research at the University of Michigan, the sophistication of our diverse research faculty, and the presence of an interdisciplinary Substance Abuse Research Center (UMSARC), we believe we have a most unique training program.
We aim to straddle disciplinary boundaries, consider innovative questions, develop new research strategies, advance public discourses and develop new knowledge. In order to keep our training program large enough to stimulate dynamic group interactions and to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue, we are requesting funding for 11 pre-doctoral and 11 post-doctoral fellows over a five-year period (1999-2004). Regardless of whether the trainee is a pre-doctoral candidate or a post-doctoral fellow, once in our program all trainees are expected to: work and publish with faculty mentors from the Substance Abuse Research Center; attend 12 Proseminars each year; attend a seminar series on Ethics in Research; and interact with researchers from other Universities who visit UMSARC each year. Pre- doctoral and post-doctoral trainees MUST identify mentors from different disciplines with whom they plan to work during their two years of training. The pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training includes 1) exposure to a critical analysis of extant research on substance abuse (Proseminar); 3) an ongoing discussion of culturally sensitive and gender sensitive research strategies (Proseminar); 4) the opportunity to learn about the responsible conduct of research; and 5) the initiation of a research career in the field of substance abuse (for pre-doctoral fellows) or the development of additional skills to enable the postdoctoral trainee to become an independent investigator. All Fellows are required to give at least one research presentation to UMSARC faculty each year. This interdisciplinary training program provides trainees with wide exposure to the full spectrum of current research on substance abuse underway by a diverse faculty at the University of Michigan.
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