This application is for five years of funding for a minority post-doctoral training program in mental health interventions research. There is a shortage of well-trained researchers with expertise and experience to manage clinical trials and to undertake behavioral, health services and substance abuse interventions. The need is especially great for minority investigators. Having will-trained individuals with diverse backgrounds should help to inform the design of studies, and also improve minority recruitment and retention in clinical trials. The NIH has recognized the need to expand the pool of qualified clinical investigators with its recent Program Announcement: Institutional Research Training Program: Increasing Diversity. Through this grant mechanism, we propose to develop a partnership between Duke University and several other institutions to identify exceptional minority candidates who, having completed a doctoral program or a psychiatry residency, are interested in obtaining further training in clinical trials research. Known as PREMIER (Partnership for Excellence in Mental Health Intervention Education and Research), this program initially will admit two fellows, but that number will quickly ramp up to four per year. PREMIER fellows will train for three years at Duke, where they will: 1) participate in ongoing pharmacological and non-pharmacological clinical trials and behavioral, mental health services and substance abuse interventions across a wide age range; 2) take formal coursework in interventions research; 3) participate in a seminar for development of young faculty; 4) be paired with a primary research mentor in their chosen field; and 5) be paired with a minority faculty member. Fellows will travel to other institutions to observe ongoing trials, to learn about minority outreach and recruitment, and to interact with minority researchers. They will also design a clinical trial and develop a proposal for a K award for mock review. By the end of three years of training, each fellow will have extensive experience and training in clinical trials as well as behavioral, mental health services and substance abuse interventions. This experience and training, coupled with networking through the PREMIER program, will enable fellows to obtain appointments as junior faculty at academic and research institutions around the country. They will be positioned to undertake mental health interventions in both minority populations and in the general population.
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