The primary goal of the NIMH Career Opportunities program is to strengthen mental health research training and experiences for a diverse population of individuals who will engage in careers in mental health research. In order to meet this goal, Hampton University, a Historically Black University, is submitting this Collaborative Research Training Model for the behavioral sciences. The Hampton Collaborative Research Training Model is organized around a number of research programs that each are associated with conceptually related satellite research facilities at major institutions across the nation. Close collaboration among all research and educational entities that make up this program including the Hampton based research projects, faculty at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and Old Dominion University (ODU), the satellite research facilities for summer placements, as well as the COR Scholar educational curriculum will ensure the development and integration of the competencies and skills required to produce students that are competitive for Ph. D. or M. D. degree programs. The cornerstone of our program is the active participation of all of the COR Scholars during the academic year in on-going research projects and summer placements with nationally recognized researchers at major universities across the nation. Scholars will participate in twelve hours of research each week that will involve as many aspects of the research process as feasible: literature research and reviews, development of research projects, data collection, analysis, and research report writing. Students will also be mentored in the development of conference presentations and publications during their two years in the program. The existing curriculum for Psychology and Sociology will be augmented by 18 semester hours of advanced training in mental health research, participation in research seminars including methodology and statistics, a course in biopsychology, and the intense research supervision and mentoring with Hampton, EVMS, and ODU based and satellite research preceptors. Participants will be undergraduates who have completed two full years in psychology or sociology with a GPA of 3.3 or better (4.1 scale) and/or give evidence through their academic work that they can successfully pursue and complete advanced degrees in behavioral science research. At this time other Hampton University faculty are preparing for submission a M-RISP grant to further the efforts in faculty development in the social sciences.
