Candidate: Dr. Goff completed postgraduate training in 1985 and started the Schizophrenia Program of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with an NIMH """"""""Faculty Scholar Award in Schizophrenia"""""""" in 1988. He has focused on augmentation trials for negative symptoms, and over the past five years has conducted a series of studies examining glutamatergic agents and glutamatergic activity of atypical antipsychotics. Dr. Goff has also established a group of ten young investigators working collaboratively to translate recent advances in the neurosciences to the study and treatment of schizophrenia. Environment: Dr. Goo's group has ample space and access to schizophrenia subjects at the Freedom Trail Clinic of the Lindemann Mental Health Center and to a collaborative network of mental health clinics that he has established for recruitment of research subjects in the greater Boston area. He works closely with the MGH Neuroimaging group, the MGH Biostatistics Center, the MGH Amino Acid Laboratory and collaborates with the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Research Group at the Beth Israel Hospital and the Brain Imaging Center at McLean Hospital. Dr. Goff is principal investigator for the clinical trials section of the NIMH-funded Neurosciences Center for the Study of Glutamate in Schizophrenia under the leadership of Dr. Joseph Coyle. Dr. Goff has full institutional commitment from Dr. Jerrold Rosenbaum (interim Chief of Psychiatry, MGH) ensuring protected time and resources to accomplish research and mentoring goals. Research: Dr. Goo's research plan involves continuation of his study of glutamatergic agents in schizophrenia and of the role of glutamatergic activity in the therapeutic action of atypical antipsychotics. He will devote the period of the career development award to completing on-going RO1-funded controlled trials of NMDA receptor agonists, initiating trials of new glutamatergic agents (D-serine and an Ampakine) and developing expertise with new research tools and developing collaborations to apply to his research, including neuroimaging, spectroscopy, transcranial magnetic stimulation and genetics. He will also continue his mentoring activities as he guides the career development of ten junior faculty researchers in his group as well as residents and research fellows working on research projects under his direction.
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