The present application is a proposal for continued support for our training program 5T32MH14235, Research Training in Mental Health Epidemiology. The major goal of the program is to provide rigorous training in the application of epidemiologic and statistical methods to psychosocial and psychiatric research. Since its inception in 1975, this program has had an unusual degree of stability in its core training faculty and overall objectives. Students who have participated in this program have demonstrated outstanding success in developing careers with important contributions to psychiatric and psychosocial epidemiology. Dr. Stan Kasl has been the Principal Investigator since 1975; however, Dr. Heping Zhang has taken over as Program Director and Dr. Kasl has become Co-Director since 2002. The major components of the training include faculty mentoring, formal course work in epidemiology, biostatistics, research experience, and clinical practica. The present application requests supports for 5 pre-doctoral and 3 post-doctoral trainees. Trainees will be recruited to represent the following focal areas: (1) psychosocial epidemiology, (2) psychiatric epidemiology, (3) genetic epidemiology, and (4) biostatistics. The substantive areas of this program include (1) links between psychopathology and chronic diseases, (2) psychosocial risk factors, (3) comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse, (4) genetic epidemiology of behavioral and emotional disorders, and (5) prevention. Faculty interests cover all stages of the life span. Strengths of this program include: (1) the availability of an excellent formal academic program in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health including programs in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and strong links with other departments including Psychiatry (Child and Adult), Psychology and Genetics; (2) an extensive network of ongoing research in diverse areas and across all levels of epidemiology including descriptive, analytic and intervention to provide direct experience in research in psychiatric epidemiology; (3) an interdisciplinary faculty with extensive experience in domains relevant to psychiatric research including epidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, health policy and services, clinical psychiatry and psychology, developmental psychology and sociology; and (4) focus on multiple disciplinary and substantive areas that are of critical importance to advances in contemporary psychiatry. Formal training, mentorship, and extensive research experience will provide trainees with the requisite methodologic and substantive tools to conduct high quality research in psychiatry. Exposure to diverse specialty areas both within and among the current program and other ongoing training initiatives will provide a broader perspective on the substantive areas of psychiatric research and appreciation of the need for an interdisciplinary approach that is critical for understanding pathogenesis and impact of mental disorders.
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