of the full length Annual Report is provided below. The Office of Fellowship Training (OFT) organized and managed several educational events and programs for the DIRP and the extramural research communities. These events, geared to service the needs of a multidisciplinary basic and clinical training program, encompassed the participation of nearly 400 fellows. The Annual NIMH/DIRP Scientific Retreat, organized by the DIRP Fellows'Committee with the guidance and support of the OFT staff, was once again held at the Wyndham Hotel and Conference Center in Gettysburg, PA. The fundamental goal of the retreat is to foster collaborations and scientific exchange among the diverse basic neuroscience laboratories and clinical branches of the intramural program, and to provide an opportunity for fellows to interact with their mentors in an informal, social setting. OFT continued the DIRP professional development activities for the fellows and staff which entailed major teaching commitments. The DIRP grantwriting training program continued its development in conjunction with Grant Writers Seminars and Workshops. Training was provided in three phases, gradually transitioning from didactic introductory material (Phase I) to an intensive grant-writing experience in the form of an individualized tutorial (Phase III). Phase I provided extensive training in Grantsmanship to 42 NIMH/DIRP fellows, 27 NINDS fellows, and 22 fellows from NEI, NIAAA and NIDCD. Phase II of the training focused on the development of an innovative research idea and the formulation of a compelling set of Specific Aims. Phase III provided an intensive grantwriting experience to a subset of more senior fellows. This tutorial, conducted over the course of 10 weeks, encompassed small, weekly group meetings with the OFT Director and covered all components of the grant application including the experimental plan, candidate information, biosketch, facilities and other resources, and abstract. This year, four fellows submitted K-99/R00 grant applications with two grants awarded. Eleven fellows submitted NARSAD grant applications (awards have not been announced), and seven NIMH fellows received the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE). As mandated by the NIH, the NIMH provides yearly ethics training. The OFT Director conducts the training in January/February in the form of a 90-minute brown bag lunch seminar called Ethics for Lunch. The topic for 2010 was social responsibility;310 DIRP investigators, trainees, and staff attended this year's 12 seminars. The DIRP Investigator Seminar Series, designed to familiarize DIRP fellows and faculty with their colleagues'research, featured six DIRP investigators and was well attended. The OFT provided weekly orientations and administrative support for students coming to the NIMH to participate in the NIH Summer Research Training Program. The NIMH DIRP accommodated 110 high school students, college undergraduates, and medical and graduate students. This year, 50 NIMH summer interns participated in the NIH Summer Student Poster Day. In collaboration with the Office of the Clinical Director, OFT organized the 22nd Annual NIMH National Outstanding Resident Awards Program, honoring 11 PGY-III residents selected from leading academic psychiatry departments. The award honors psychiatry residents who show outstanding scientific and leadership potential. The program provides a vehicle to recruit the """"""""best and brightest"""""""" to the DIRP Clinical Research Training Program. The two-day award program consists of presentations by the clinical faculty, tours of the Clinical Center and DIRP facilities, interviews with branch chiefs and investigators, lunch with the DIRP clinical fellows and an awards dinner honoring the award recipients. The OFT arranged a one-day visit to the NIMH for 30 neuroscience undergraduate students from Duke University. Students toured the NIMH DIRP and learned about our training programs and the science conducted in a variety of laboratories. This annual visit allows the DIRP to recruit postbaccalaureates and summer students, thereby promoting continued participation by Duke University in NIMH's fellowship training program. Aggressive efforts to enhance the diversity of the DIRP training program continued with staff attending as an exhibitor and/or providing talks at several national student conferences. Staff gave presentations at several university and colleges including Hunter College in New York City and four campuses at the University of Puerto Rico. One indicator of the success of these efforts is that approximately 45% of the students in this year's Summer Research Program were under-represented minorities. OFT organized the recruitment program and interview process, and provided administrative services for the newly established University College London-NIMH/NINDS Joint Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience. For the first time, OFT provided administrative support including recruitment and interview programs for the Karolinska-NIH Program for Graduate Training in the Neurosciences. The OFT developed interactive websites for both programs. The OFT also assumed management of the newly established PhD program between the NIMH/DIRP and the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A key function of the DIRP/OFT is to provide a vehicle for fellow/mentor grievance resolution and career counseling. This year the OFT Director participated in the successful resolution of three fellow/mentor disputes and provided formal career counseling for 20 fellows. The OFT Director also provided consultation services for 12 DIRP investigators on topics related to training and/or career development. The Office effected the laboratory transfer of eight fellows in response to investigator retirements, departures or supervisor-trainee incompatibilities. Two DIRP fellows sought alternative career paths through placements in the NIMH Extramural Program. OFT staff continue to meet with all fellows to evaluate their fellowship experience as they leave for PhD programs, medical schools, academic positions and industry. From an administrative perspective, the OFT continued its collaboration with the Administrative Services Branch (ASB), providing quarterly training to DIRP laboratory/branch secretarial and administrative support staff in personnel case management. This training has proven advantageous since the OFT reviews and works with ASB and administrative staff in preparing nearly 1300 personnel cases annually. The OFT Specialists continue to provide monthly orientations to all newly appointed trainees. This year the ASB, the SD and the OFT coordinated these orientations to coincide with the bi-monthly NIH HR orientations. The orientation covers information relevant to the NIH and NIMH organization, function, and mission, and provides fellows with reference materials on ethical conduct and mentorship. This year, all materials presented during the summer and bi-monthly orientations were provided on a memory stick in an effort to """"""""go green"""""""" in the OFT. The OFT worked with ASB and the SD to develop the Special Volunteer and Student IRTA online application. As of September 1, 2010, these cases are submitted, processed and approved online. All new and current fellowship cases passing through the OFT are now scanned and stored in SharePoint. In 2011, the OFT anticipates that all fellowship cases will be stored electronically.
