Developmental Psychopathology

Project Summary The purpose of the proposed program is to train the next generation of scholars in developmental psychopathology who will conduct multiple levels of analysis research addressing one or more of NIMH’s 2020 strategic objectives. The proposal requests continuation of a training program at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, continuously supported by the National Institute of Mental Health since 1959. In 1981 this training program added postdoctoral students and now consists of 3 predoctoral and 2 postdoctoral positions. The award-winning faculty on the training grant reflect various sub- disciplines of developmental science, including child clinical psychology, developmental behavioral neuroscience/developmental psychobiology, stress neurobiology, socioemotional development, pediatrics, and intervention science. External training faculty from other departments across the University of Minnesota (e.g., Family Social Science, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Psychology, Pharmacology, Public Health) also will serve as co-mentors of the pre- and –post doctoral trainees. This allows our trainees to take advantage of the full richness of research in developmental psychopathology available at the University of Minnesota. In any given year, the predoctoral trainees represent approximately 10% of all Ph.D. students in the Institute of Child Development; thus, being placed on the training grant is highly competitive. Students enter the training grant as 2nd, 3rd or 4th year Ph.D. students (preferentially 3rd or 4th year) so that we can be more confident of their talent and of their commitment to research areas pertinent to NIMH’s strategic goals. Postdoctoral trainees are selected based on evidence of research potential, strong recommendations, and fit with the program. Predoctoral trainees complete one of two Ph.D. tracks, the Developmental Science track or the Developmental Psychopathology Clinical Science track; the latter involves a one-year clinical internship. All predoctoral trainees receive training in professional development, ethics in research, statistics, and cognitive and social development as part of the larger Ph.D. program. T32 trainees in addition take a course in developmental psychopathology, attend the annual research ethnic UMN conference, present at the annual clinical research day and complete grant-writing training. Postdoctoral students complete the grant writing training and, in consultation with their faculty mentor and the training grant director, any areas of developmental science that are critical to their research program and in which they lacked sufficient prior training.