The Career Development Institute for Psychiatry

Project Summary (Abstract) For over two decades, the combination of a declining number of clinical scientists who pursue careers in mental health and a high rate of attrition among those who enter the field has threatened our nation’s ability to leverage advances in biomedical and behavioral sciences into improvements in public health. The goal of this R25 renewal application for the Career Development Institute for Psychiatry (CDI) is to continue a program that provides the necessary skills, support, and mentoring network to a nationally selected, highly qualified group of promising early-career mental health scientists to help them launch and maintain successful research careers. Our results to date indicate that fellows are very satisfied with the program, have experienced improvement in career skills, and have successfully proceeded in academic careers. The program is geared toward scientists at the critical transition point between the completion of research training and the initial years of faculty appointment. The CDI provides the necessary skills and mentoring in a multi-tiered longitudinal program, with a focus on the developmental needs of early-career mental health scientists, including practical career skills; long-term, multilevel mentoring; support for facing personal and professional challenges; membership in a professional community; and a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to science. Targeted career skills include negotiation; research ethics; leadership; scientific project management; science communication; and computational approaches. Improvements for this iteration include more interactive formats, enhanced mentoring, targeted webinars, and emphasis on leadership and programmatic planning. The program encompasses four phases for each annual class of 18-22 fellows: (1) self-assessment and goal setting; (2) 4-day in-person workshop; (3) 2 years of mentoring, training webinars, and community building; and (4) annual career and program evaluations. The program directors, advisory board, and website provide a thorough, centralized foundation for the program. CDI alumni from across the country serve as faculty. The proposed longitudinal program will increase the number of scientists committed to research careers in mental health and provide a foundation for improved progress toward preventing and treating mental illness.