Research (T32) Fellowship in Geriatric Mental Health

The fellowship was awarded in 1995 (PI: Dilip V. Jeste) and renewed in 1999. It supports up to six outstanding postdoctoral Fellows who are suited for an academic research career in geriatric mental health. In addition, four slots are devoted to the training of medical or other predoctoral students in order to develop a "pipeline" for future fellows. Fellowship opportunities exist in clinical and applied services focusing on the treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of psychotic disorders in late life. The primary goal of the Fellowship program is training fellows in those skills necessary for developing into independent researchers.

Since 1992, the T32 mechanism has funded 28 Fellows. 76% of the fellows trained have continued to pursue a research career with a majority having full-time faculty positions. (It has been reported that 68% of the individuals who participated in geriatric fellowships spend less than 10% of their time in research activities (Siu Al, 1989)). Four career development awards (K series) have been awarded and two are pending. Four trainees have received NARSAD Young Investigator Awards and one was awarded a grant from the Scottish Rite Foundation. Trainees have also received RO3s and R01s. Fellows have authored or co﷓authored over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles. In addition, a large number of pre-doctoral students have been trained in the Division. The Division has also provided training to medicine and pharmacy residents and medical students. A list of fellows from the past five years.

Mentorship

A large proportion of fellows’ time is be devoted to research (which includes relevant clinical or basic work such as SCID interviews, therapy sessions, lab assays, etc.). The balance of time may be committed to teaching and administration. The overall training program is based on a combination of individualized mentoring, and more structured group training, with an increasing emphasis on independence during the latter part of Fellowship. Each fellow will be assigned one principal mentor and up to two "secondary" mentors. This structure provides them with an inter-disciplinary team of mentors who can provide valuable input into your training process. One of the "secondary" mentors may be a senior Fellow or junior faculty member. They will also meet individually with Dr. Jeste, Dr. Lindamer, Ms. Halpain and members of the Biostatistics/ Data Management Core.

Division of Geriatric Psychiatry Research Fellowship Responsibilities and Requirements

Responsibilities of the fellowship include: research-related clinical work, such as diagnostic interviews, division-related data collection, and attendance and participation in seminars and meetings. A detailed list of the seminars, meetings, courses, and other activities offered by the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Evaluation of Progress

Each fellow will be evaluated both informally and formally. They meet with their principal mentor on a regular basis. The principal mentor will provide the trainee with ongoing feedback about his/her progress. Secondly, formal evaluations are conducted by the principal mentor periodically. Each fellow will be asked to provide feedback on their own training and on the Fellowship program in general on an ongoing basis. In addition, formal written evaluation of the Fellowship are completed once a year. These evaluations are utilized to make changes deemed necessary.