The goal of the proposed Institutional National Research Service Award Training Program is to provide basic and clinical neuroscientists with the skills and experiences necessary to launch an interdisciplinary research career that can contribute to understanding the neurobiology of schizophrenia and related disorders. Because neuropsychiatric disorders affect complex behavior, their study requires multidisciplinary, integrative efforts. Not only do we need to bridge across disciplines, but also the entire endeavor has to incorporate a developmental perspective. The faculty of this T32 exemplify extensive and productive collaborations spanning across the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This competing renewal application capitalizes on the depth of resources, facilities and faculty dedicated to research and training in translational neuroscience. The program forges cross-fertilization of clinical neuroscientists, with expertise in assessment and treatment of complex disorders, and basic neuroscientists, with new methodologies to probe neural mechanisms pertinent to schizophrenia. The training program dovetails with the academic agenda of the Schizophrenia Research Center, where faculty interact by working collaboratively in research teams in ways that can serve as role models for trainees. We hope that our efforts will continue to help advance the careers of high quality clinical and basic neuroscientists who can move the field ahead collaboratively. Through active participation in research, combined with didactic course work, trainees learn to conduct research bridging clinical with basic neurosciences relevant to understanding the neurobiology of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
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