Overview

Program

People

Admission

Our program consists of four distinct but interrelated components (see below), integrated by a fifth component, the Faculty-Fellow Seminar.

Outlined below are the core elements of the program required of all fellows. Predoctoral fellows take additional coursework to fulfill the requirements of their particular Ph.D. programs.

Component I: Coursework in Epidemiology
The goal of this component is to introduce fellows to key issues in psychiatric epidemiology and to the fundamental concepts necessary to address these issues. Knowledge in these areas is imparted by coursework in epidemiological methods and substantive issues in psychiatric epidemiology. Epidemiological methods are covered in a three course sequences - Principles of Epidemiology I, The Design and Conduct of Chronic Disease Epidemiological Studies (Epidemiology II) , and Principles of Epidemiology III: Advanced Topics - taught by the epidemiology faculty. The first two of these courses are taught by P.E.T. faculty members (Neugebauer and Schwartz). Substantive issues in psychiatric epidemiology are addressed in a three semester reading seminar designed specifically for P.E.T. fellows and taught by program faculty - Basic Issues (Link and P.E.T. faculty), Issues in Child Psychiatric Epidemiology (Cohen) and Introduction to Genetic and other Biological Issues in Psychiatric Epidemiology (Erlenmeyer-Kimling, Ottman and other P.E.T. faculty). The latter course is currently being expanded from its past focus on exclusively genetic issues to include other biological approaches that are relevant to psychiatric epidemiology. For fellows lacking social science training, courses are recommended in Sociology and Social Psychology in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. For fellows lacking a medical background, the one credit Epidemiology Seminar series is recommended. A key goal of many of these courses is to provide fellows with the ability to translate theoretical ideas into hypotheses that can be meaningfully tested.

Component II: Coursework in Clinical Psychiatry
Knowledge in this domain is imparted by a course sequence designed for fellows without clinical experience. It includes an introduction to the major types of psychopathology, DSM-IV criteria, the clinical interview and a survey of the major research instruments used to detect disorders in community and patient populations. Recently, the instructor for this course, Dr. Larry Amsel has been appointed as Assistant Director for Education Training for Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Inpatient Unit and in that position has been able to negotiate increased patient contact for our fellows without jeopardizing patient privacy. This unit treats people with a broad range of psychiatric disorders. Trainees will attend rounds, case conferences and patient interviews. They will also be able to serve as volunteers on the unit if they wish. In addition, fellows desiring further information about specific populations of people with psychiatric disorders can also do so through clinical contacts of other faculty members. For example, one fellow who is interested in people with psychiatric disorders who are homeless has been able to interview patients in a program with which Dr. Susser is involved.

Component III: Coursework in Statistics
The goal of this component is to ensure that fellows have sufficient background in measurement and statistics to conduct quantitative research in psychiatric epidemiology and to work productively with biostatisticians. Required courses include - Introduction to Biostatistics Issues in Measurement, Categorical Data Analysis, and Applied Regression Analysis which all fellows take unless they have already covered the material in previous course work. Fellows are also strongly encouraged to go beyond these basic courses to master more advanced topics offered in biostatistics courses and through tutorials with faculty.

Component IV: Field Placements
This component provides fellows with hands-on supervised research experience with an established research team. Fellows participate in field placements for 12 to 20+ hours per week depending on stage in the program and whether the fellow is pre- or post-doctoral. For example, pre-doctoral fellows in the first two years of coursework, average at the low end of involvement whereas post-doctoral fellows in their final year average well over 20 hours per week.

Typically, fellows formulate and develop their initial research projects using data collected by the preceptor and his/her team. Fellows are expected to take primary responsibility for the project and to author papers in consultation and collaboration with their preceptors and research colleagues.

In addition, fellows participate in project meetings to develop collegial associations and to become aware of the full range of substantive and technical issues involved in carrying out epidemiologic studies. Fellows are encouraged to develop their ideas into independent grant proposals.

Component V: Faculty-Fellow Seminar
The Faculty-Fellow Seminar serves a multitude of functions. It provides 1) a forum for collegial interactions and the development of professional networks; 2) an arena for fellows to present results of their research and receive feedback; 3) an opportunity to keep abreast of recent developments in the field and 4) a testing ground for proposed changes in the P.E.T. curriculum. Perhaps the most important function of the seminar is to integrate the program by providing a time and place for program participants to meet on a regular basis. The common experience of hearing and discussing the same material facilitates the development of intellectual ties between faculty and fellows and among the fellows themselves.

The Faculty-Fellow Seminar meets once a week in a large conference room one floor above the PET offices. It is regularly attended by the fellows, program director, co-directors and training coordinator. Other faculty frequently attend. The seminars are either presentations of ongoing research by fellows, faculty or guest speakers or workshops on special topics. While presentations by faculty and fellows provide the backbone of the Faculty- Fellow Seminar, an effort is made to recruit speakers and develop workshops on topics and approaches that complement those fellows are exposed to through program courses and faculty. For example, we have had seminars on diagnoses not investigated by program faculty (e.g., eating disorders) and statistical methods not covered in course work (e.g., simulations). In addition, workshops are used to integrate new topics into program (e.g., biological research in psychiatry). These series often develop into full courses (e.g. the course on genetic psychiatric epidemiology).

Additional Training Activities: Throughout all the aspects of the program, training is provided in
the development of grant proposals. The substantive courses emphasize the ability to formulate testable hypotheses. The Reading Seminar and the Faculty Fellow Seminar present examples of research from which the trainees can learn various approaches to developing research ideas. Several courses offer fellows opportunities to write mock grant proposals, which fellows are encouraged to turn into actual submissions. In addition, all second year postdoctoral fellows are required to write a grant proposal outlining their plans for research during the third year. They are encouraged to select a topic that can develop into a B- Start, FIRST award or other grant application. Information on technical aspects of grant writing and the availability of funding opportunities is available through seminars and courses offered by the Office of Grants and Contracts.