This application is a competitive renewal for an institutional training grant at Stanford University. The mission of this training program is to prepare M.D.'s and Ph.D.'s for careers in child and adolescent psychiatry research. Eligible candidates for the program include physicians who have completed year three of psychiatry training, psychologists who have completed a clinical internship, and other doctoral level health professionals committed to research in child and adolescent psychiatry. Historically, the program has had a tradition of success as evidenced by the current status of program alumnae. However, changing needs of the discipline, feedback from former fellows, and suggestions from research on program effectiveness have inspired major modifications of the program over the past year. These changes have been led by the new program Training Director, Dr. Allan L. Reiss. The program is organized around 2 cores: developmental psychopathology and neuropsychiatry. The didactic curriculum for both cores includes formal seminars on research methodology, statistics, and medical research ethics. Additional sources of elective training are also offered (e.g., genetics). Fellows are paired with a faculty mentor according to common areas of research interest. All fellows are expected to design and complete their own research projects. Furthermore, in collaboration with their mentors and training program faculty, fellows are required to prepare manuscripts for publication and to develop a model small grant application. All fellows present their research at departmental colloquia. Mentors and postdoctoral fellows meet quarterly to specifically address trainees' career development issues. Postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to develop applications that are suitable for external funding. Progress is evaluated regularly by a Training committee comprised of faculty representing the two research cores. Evaluative feedback regarding the training program is systematically collected from trainees, and their responses are used to enhance the training program design. The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has trained 162 (130 M.D.'s , 32 Ph.D.'s) Clinical and research postgraduates over the past 40 years. The NIMH training program currently includes 4 postdoctoral fellows (2 M.D.'s, 2 Ph.D.'s). Former postdoctoral fellows from this program have obtained academic appointments and have made significant contributions to the research in child and adolescent psychiatry.
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