Yale Child Study Center
230 South Frontage Road
New Haven, CT 06520
Tel: 203.785.2540
NIMH Research Training Program in Childhood-onset Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Program Director: James F. Leckman
Co-Director: Elena L. Grigorenko
Purpose
The two-year program is designed to provide
patient-oriented research training to an
interdisciplinary group of post-doctoral fellows
interested in a broad range of scientific
disciplines relevant to childhood-onset
neurobiological disorders. These disorders are
largely the result of complex interactions
between genomic vulnerability and environmental
factors occurring over the course of brain
development. The long-term objective of this
program is to increase the number of innovative
of interdisciplinary investigators entering this
field. A major focus of the training is the
promote dialogue across disciplines and to
emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary
teams. Specifically, we seek to support the
development of the next generation of
translational researchers who are committed to
the discovery of disease-relevant genes, key
environmental factors, biomarkers (using
techniques from genomics, proteomics,
neuroimmunology, and neuroimaging), and the
development and dissemination of novel treatments
and preventive interventions. The determination
of how and why specific interventions are effective is another goal.
Characteristics
Major features of this program include
- Preceptor-directed research training that
brings together established investigators in
child psychiatry, pediatrics, clinical and
developmental psychology, the developmental
neurosciences with a focus on developing animal
models, human genetics, molecular biology, brain
imaging, evidence-based medicine, epidemiology,
services research, and social policy with an
outstanding group of post-doctoral fellows from a
broad range of clinical and scientific
backgrounds who are committed to pursuing
academic careers in patient-oriented research; and
- A core curriculum that focuses on the
skills necessary to achieve the status of an
independent investigator including: formal
training in research design and biostatistics;
mastery of the knowledge base concerning the
neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood onset
[autism, mental retardation syndromes (fragile X
syndrome, Down syndrome), learning disabilities,
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct
disorder, Tourette's syndrome, and
obsessive-compulsive disorder]; the protection of
human subjects and the need for safeguards to
ensure the integrity of the research enterprise;
and the acquisition to the skills needed to
prepare and critique original articles and
research grant applications. The successful
matching of individual faculty preceptors with
post-doctoral fellows lies at the heart of this research training program.
