Multidisciplinary Schizophrenia Research Training

Project Summary This is the third competitive renewal of a T32 training grant at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC), originally funded in 2003 (MH067533). The goal of the proposed program is to prepare MDs, PhDs and PharmDs interested in basic or clinical research for a career in translational research in mental health with a focus on schizophrenia and psychosis-related disorders. The MPRC, an Organized Research Center of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and division of the Department of Psychiatry, is a state-of-the-art center for research on schizophrenia and related disorders, located on the grounds of the Spring Grove Hospital Center, a State of Maryland inpatient mental health facility located just outside Baltimore. MPRC research engages a broad range of integrated and translational science to investigate specific pathologies associated with schizophrenia and related disorders including; neurophysiology, neuroimaging, basic neurochemistry, circuitry modeling in rodents and miniature pigs, disease etiology, domains of psychopathology and endophenotypes, neurocognition, experimental therapeutics and clinical trials. The MPRC’s collaborative framework has supported NIMH P50 awards for over 30 years, most recently a CIDAR and presently in year 6 of a Silvio O. Conte Centerr (Fall 2019). The MPRC is characterized by continuous interaction and collaboration among preclinical and clinical investigators- we share the same space, seminar schedules, faculty meetings and general research interests. This integrated experience prepared several faculty at MPRC to take an active role in supporting NIMH workshops developing behavioral constructs for the RDoC initiative and one PI on this application is a senior advisor to NIMH assigned to the RDoC Unit. Scientific opportunities and collaborations are enriched with extensive involvement with other components of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy and the nearby University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Postdoctoral training offered under this T32 fellowship has a primary focus on both basic neuroscience and clinical investigations of schizophrenia and related disorders. All trainees are educated on the translational perspective of the MPRC and provided mentors and didactic training in both clinical psychopathology and basic neuroscience as well as structured career planning. We are unique in that we have a broad array of opportunities for multidisciplinary training (we uniquely accept PharmDs) as well as having nonresearch focused clinical personnel integrated in the curriculum to training scientists in pragmatic, real world needs of the field. The culture at the MPRC provides the foundation for our success in recruiting and training post-doctoral fellows for a scientific career, including clinician scientists. Graduates of the program lead productive, successful research-intensive careers. This competitive five-year renewal application proposes to leverage our previous success and continue to improve our training approach (including mentor training) to produce productive, well-rounded translationally-focused scientists.