This application requests a further five years of funding to support the organization and delivery, on five occasions, of a one week intensive training workshop. The workshop is targeted at post-doctoral trainees and experienced investigators (MDs and PhDs), carrying out mental health research supported by the Public Health Service, who are currently working with twin and family study data (including linkage and association studies), planning to initiate such research, or considering the inclusion of twins and families, or DNA collection, epidemiological studies. So as to keep a balance between the needs of investigators conducting different kinds of studies and those using a variety of methodologies, we propose to alternate between a workshop focusing on biometrical analyses of twin and family data, and an advanced workshop focusing on association and linkage studies. During the current period there have been over 90 participants at each introductory workshop and an average of 60 participants at each advanced workshop. Since the inception of the workshops in 1987, over 1200 individuals have attended this training. Sixteen of the 21 workshops have been hosted by the current PI (John Hewitt) in Boulder, Colorado. Although a training workshop, it shares some characteristics of a scientific meeting. Participants are encouraged discuss their current research, to bring copies of their data to work on directly while at the workshop, and to discuss and develop research plans. New collaborations are established to facilitate both high quality research and publication on existing data sets, and new research initiatives are strengthened by the collaboration of experts with a phenotypic focus with experts in methodology. This application follows the guidelines in PA Number: PAR-06-494 for Mental Health Research Education Grants and extends the training work previously funded by grants T35MH19392, T35MH19918, and R25MH19918. The workshop offers an innovative educational program designed to prepare researchers for interdisciplinary research careers in the area of genetics and mental health. Research scientists participating in the workshops will update their knowledge and expertise, refine their research skills and, specifically, obtain specialized training in methods of genetic design and analysis and their integration into research on the genetic and environmental etiology of mental health.
| Verhulst, Brad (2017) A Power Calculator for the Classical Twin Design. Behav Genet 47:255-261 |
| Maes, Hermine H M; Hatemi, Peter K; Neale, Michael C (2014) Lindon J. Eaves, Ph.D., M.A. (Oxon), D.Sc. Theory-model-data. Behav Genet 44:183-92 |
