Advanced Research Institute (ARI) in Mental Health and Aging

The overarching goal of the "Advanced Research Institute (ARI) in Mental Health and Aging” is to increase the number of early-career faculty successfully transitioning to independent investigators conducting high impact research in mental health and aging. The population is aging rapidly – in terms of longevity, absolute numbers and relative to other ages -- both in the US and in much of the world. These demographic changes offer both challenges and opportunities for new generations of researchers to explicate the contribution of aging to mental illness and to reduce the personal and societal burden of mental illness in older adults. The number of investigators focused on mental health and aging is small relative the size of the scientific and public health challenges. ARI will provide early-career faculty a mentored, educational program to foster their transition to: Aim 1 (Independent Investigators) measured by obtaining NIH R01-level (or equivalent) funding and, secondarily, research funding through other NIH mechanisms or federal grant programs, and Aim 2 (Scientific Leaders) as evidenced by research mentoring, retention as active researchers, publications, academic promotion, participation in team science, and scientific service (e.g., NIH Study sections. The ARI national Mentoring Network is a multi-disciplinary team of senior and mid-career scientists with complementary skills which span the translational spectrum of brain, interventions and implementation science. The ARI Educational Program supports 16 early-career faculty (called Scholars) annually with each Scholar’s participating for two years. Key elements include: sustained mentoring focused on grant-writing and career development, consultation with biostatisticians, and professional development. The program includes an annual in-person Spring Retreat, structured long-distance follow-up, and web-based career development seminars. ARI also supports an innovative a mentored Biostatistical Fellows Program that provides the ARI scholars with multiple opportunities for biostatistical consultation and support. ARI sponsors a mentoring program (CIMA and ARI Mentoring Program, CAMP) at the annual Geriatric Psychiatry meeting (AAGP). This is particularly helpful in enriching diverse recruitment as AAGP draws from a wide group of potential scholars. In this renewal, we propose 3 innovations to strengthen the program’s impact a. (New Science) Engage with recent advances in computational science and community engagement, b. (JEDI to Science) Bringing Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) lens to the entire translational spectrum, and c. (Workforce itself) Enhanced efforts to build a diverse research pipeline. Public Health Impact: The unmet mental health needs of older adults is a significant public health problem that affects not only those who suffer from mental disorders but their families, care providers, communities, and institutions that deliver and pay for care. ARI meets this challenge by enhancing the pipeline of scientific leaders.