The main purpose of the Biological Sciences Training Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University is to train postdoctoral fellows in biological and behavioral sciences relevant to mental illness and health. To attain this goal, the program recruits two groups of postdoctoral trainees: 1) individuals with a PhD degree in neuroscience or other basic science discipline, and 2) psychiatrists interested in basic and translational neurobiology research, generally after completing two or three years of clinical residency. To help fill a nationally recognized need, the aim of the program is to both increase the number of research psychiatrists with a grounding in basic biological sciences and to develop the interest of basic neuroscientists in clinical problems as well as in interdisciplinary aspects of their own basic research. Thus, the overall aim is to promote cross-fertilization between basic researchers and individuals who are experienced clinically. Extensive research collaborations between faculty members of the training program further contribute to the interdisciplinary experience of the trainees. It is expected that trainees coming out of this program will be able to bridge the gap between basic and clinical neuroscience and conduct translation research to elucidate the molecular and cellular basis of complex behaviors related to major psychiatric illnesses. There are 33 faculty members in the program consisting of both basic and clinical researchers. The number of postdoctoral training slots requested is five, the same number as the current grant. The program typically involves training for 2 years in one primary discipline but usually includes direct or collaborative interactions with other disciplines. Interdisciplinary laboratory training is offered in molecular and cellular neurobiology, gene expression profiling, proteomics, in vivo imaging, in vivo multi-electrode recording, optogenetics, intracellular signaling, neurochemistry, electrophysiology, neuropharmacology, and behavioral models of psychiatric illness, as well as motivation, reward, cognition, learning and memory; there is an emphasis of the interactions with strong clinical research programs in the department of Psychiatry. Clinical research training is offered in behavioral assessment, genetic analysis, biological measurements, and multiple types of neuroimaging techniques. In addition to specific research training, there are courses in Clinical Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology as well as seminars and regular Workshops in which Fellows present ongoing research to the entire group of faculty and trainees. The training proposal is directly relevant to the research objectives of NIMH by fostering the training of researchers to produce new knowledge about mental disorders, maladaptive behavior, and novel treatment strategies. Thus, basic and clinical research is carried out in areas pertaining to anxiety (e.g., panic and post- traumatic stress disorder), obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and mood disorders.
The purpose of the Biological Sciences Training Program at Yale University is to train postdoctoral fellows, including basic neuroscientists (PhD?s) and psychiatry residents (MD and/or PhD?s) in biological and behavioral sciences relevant to mental health. Thus, the overall aim is to train and promote cross-fertilization between basic and clinical neuroscience researchers, so that trainees can go on to conduct translation research to elucidate the molecular and cellular basis of complex behaviors. The training proposal is directly relevant to the research objectives of NIMH by fostering the training of researchers to produce new knowledge about maladaptive behavior related to major psychiatric illnesses and novel treatment strategies.
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