If you are interested in psychiatric research, the University of Maryland offers a wide range of experiences with world class researchers. The Department, with its $16 million research budget, usually ranks first among medical school departments in research grants and contracts. The faculty has authored over 150 publications annually for each of the past several years.
The Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC) on the Catonsville campus is internationally recognized for work in schizophrenia, neuroscience, neuropathology, psycho-pharmacology, brain imaging, clinical trials and psychopathology.
On the downtown campus, the Division of Services Research (DSR) conducts applied research and policy studies on the delivery of services to adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses and to children with and at risk for serious emotional disturbances. The division consists of 3 programs: The Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR), the Center for Behavioral Health Justice and Public Policy (CBHJPP), and the Mental Health Systems Improvement Collaborative (MHSIC). The DSR also collaborates with the VA Capitol Network (VISN 5) Mental Illness Research and Education Clinical Center.
The department also maintains active research programs in childhood disorders, geropsychiatry, mood and anxiety disorders and substance use disorders on the downtown campus.
The Research Track is a 5-year combined clinical residency and research training program. During the first six months of the PGY I year, residents interested in applying to the Research Track will meet with potential mentors. They will be expected to select a mentor and an area of investigation, and then submit an application by the end of this period. Residents who are accepted into the Research Track will have one day a week set aside for them to meet with his/her mentor and to begin developing a specific research project. In the PGY II year, the resident will continue to have protected time to meet weekly with his/her mentor. In addition, there will be a two month block of time allocated to assigned reading, familiarization with ongoing research within the laboratory, and the development of the resident's project.
The percentage of time allocated for research during the III, IV, and V years increases to 30%, 40% and 80% respectively. During the PGY II and PGY III years, the resident will participate in formal didactic courses in the area of statistics and research design. The courses are offered by the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences, Inc. (FAES) Graduate School at NIH. During PGY II and PGY III years, the resident is required to take STAT 200 and STAT 500M (Introduction to Experimental Statistics and Statistics for Biomedical Scientists), and elect two of the following three courses: STAT 301, STAT 317M or STAT 321M (Experimental Design and Data Analysis; Introduction to Epidemiology; or Methodology in Clinical Trials). In the PGY IV year, the resident is required to take one of the following courses: STAT 424, STAT 518, and STAT 525 (Regression and Correlation Methods, Categorical Data Analysis and Nonparametric and Robust Methods). In addition, the resident will be encouraged to take courses in their chosen area of research, such as, courses in Genetics and Imaging Sciences. The Research Track will provide funds for the courses and travel expenses (i.e., mileage and parking).
Attendance at professional meetings is considered a vital part of the education and development of a professional involved in research. Accordingly, Research Track Residents will be allotted funds to enable them to attend one professional meeting during PGY III through PGY V years. Use of these funds is subject to the mentor's approval. Additional funds may be available to attend additional meetings supported by the resident's mentor.
Pilot Projects Fund: The Research Track has budgeted moneys for the Pilot Projects Fund administered by the Research Track Committee. This will fund 2-4 pilot projects each year on a competitive basis, thus supporting pilot studies of a significant proportion of 6 trainees expected to be in PGY III to PGY V years. We consider the Pilot Projects Fund a critical component of the Research Track particularly for an item which represents a small proportion of the total budget. This fosters independence, and encourages the trainee to formulate a relevant research question, design an experiment to address a hypothesis, and plan ahead data collection and analysis. It provides a practical experience in grantsmanship and peer review process. Finally, pilot data collected through the project will help the trainee towards NIMH Small Grants or training grants, or private foundation applications.
Each year, applications will be solicited for competitive funding of year-long pilot projects initiated by the trainees with guidance from the mentors. The application will follow the NIMH format and will include abbreviated Budget, Specific Aims, Background, Research Design, and Data Analysis sections. The budget will be limited to less than $10,000. Generally the project will not be renewed the subsequent year and the trainee will be encouraged to seek external funding. If not approved for funding the first attempt, trainees will have two more opportunities to resubmit and respond to the criticism. The applications will be reviewed by the Research Track Committee with help from other faculty. The trainees will receive a written critique compiled by the co-directors of the program.
Updated August, 2006
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