The COR program at California State University, Northridge (CSUN COR) was designed to combine a rigorous academic program with a supportive and socially conscious research environment that prepares traditionally underrepresented students for doctoral study and research careers in mental health. CSUN COR students take 7 academic courses to strengthen methodological and professional development knowledge and skills, conduct mentored and independent research leading to conference papers, complete a senior honor's thesis, attend a summer research program off-campus, receive support for academic courses and GRE preparation, and participate in COR community activities that broaden COR Scholars'professional network such as guest lectures and local cultural events. Program faculty from Psychology, Chicana/o Studies, Child and Adolescent Development, Family and Consumer Sciences and Sociology participate in research laboratories related to, for example, social perception in individuals with schizophrenia, norming neuropsychological measures for differing cultural groups, and school violence among many others. Students can develop skills in psychological and neuropsychological assessment with ethnically and socioeconomically diverse populations who are elderly, who have experienced head-trauma, schizophrenia, and a number of other mental health disorders, develop clinical research skills in hospital and clinic settings, and conduct large-scale and in-depth research in large institutions using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods designs. Each year, four juniors and four seniors participate in CSUN COR. With an initial cohort of 8 undergraduate students, we propose to train a total of 24 students over the span of 5 years. CSUN COR and its research opportunities are relevant to public health in the emphasis laid on ethnically, socioeconomically and functionally diverse samples, topics that are directly and indirectly linked with health and mental health services, environments crucial to the development and maintenance of mental health such as schools, Veteran's Affairs Centers, laboratories, and in the field. CSUN COR was designed to strengthen and broaden students'research skills while providing them with opportunities for self-exploration and the development of a professional identity in the service of ensuring students'success in entering and succeeding in a doctoral program and entering research professions related to mental health.
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