The overarching aim of this specialized research training and mentorship focused interdisciplinary program is to provide outstanding junior and senior undergraduates with unique and advanced exposure to biobehaviorai and psychosocial research to equip and to motivate their pursuit of a Ph.D. level research career in any of several mental health related academic disciplines. After Program participation, these NIMH-COR Honors Students will be particularly well-prepared for interdisciplinary graduate mental health research programs (e.g., biopsychology). Their special qualifications will include advanced professional and disciplinary knowledge as well as critical thinking, methodological, statistical and computer skills in diverse research roles. The program is designed to encourage and sustain students'interest in research careers by improving greatly their qualifications for entry to, and success in, the highest quality graduate programs and postdoctoral careers directed toward NIMH related research and the reduction of mental health disparities. The two-year program has several components: (1) unique and continuous exposure to and participation in advanced biomedical, biobehaviorai and psychosocial research in Mental Health research areas within the disciplines of psychology, biology, anthropology, sociology and social work and particularly with our new collaborators, psychiatry, pharmacology and genomics at Howard University. These will provide intense sources of mentoring from faculty and graduate students and will involve (1) specialized computer training for a variety of scholarly and research functions;(2) specialized advanced coursework in scientific conceptualization, logical research progression, methods, and statistics and computers in research and (3) scientific colloquia to increase exposure to research luminaries and to strong research career models. Therefore this proposed renewal intends to, (1) add significant new, NIMH focial research disciplines and leading researcher mentors, (2) advance our maturing evaluation and tracking process, and (3) elaborate on program structure and functioning. Program success is measured in terms of our students'achievements. Of our 102 paid COR graduates, 53 have PhDs (82% of those at least 9 years post-COR), 5 MDs, 11 are ABD, 6 are now in application and 99% have entered graduate programs. Enthusiasm for and within the NIMH-COR Program is very strong. This program has important impact on mental health in the United States in attracting, preparing and motivating underrepresented honors undergraduates to research careers and thereby adding their groups'experiences, challenges and needs to the national agenda and producing researchers to address those needs. Without such a program, those needs may remain under-recognized and under-investigated.
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