Research

Are You Interested in Research?

April 22, 2008

If you are a resident interested in research, we suggest that you:

1. Look for a mentor at your institution
1. Ask your training director for suggestions
2. Or, your Chairman (don’t be worried, Chairs usually like to be asked)
3. Ask a “Vice Chair for Research” if there is one in your Department
4. Ask other residents in your program who are doing research, and post-residency fellows doing research.
2. Find someone to read journals with
1. A journal club
2. An interested faculty member
3. Explore opportunities to do research
1. Ask your training director if there is elective time available to do research
2. If any resident has received time off of clinical duties to do research, ask how it was arranged.
4. Find out about ways that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the National Institute of Mental Health support young researchers
1. Contact Ernesto Guerra at the APA to sign up for the Psychiatric Research Report eguerra@psych.org
2. Explore the APA website about research training and funding: http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Research/ResearchTrainingandFunding.aspx
3. If you are in a racial or ethnic minority category, be sure to find out about the PMRTP (Psychiatry Minority Research Training Program) from Ernesto.
4. Look at the NIMH research training website.  You could write an F Award, or there may be a T32 award in your institution, even in another department, that might support you as a research fellow.
5. Attend the APA annual meeting and go to talks on subjects that interest you.  Ask the speaker after the talk if you could come to work with him/her after residency, and if he/she knows of any funding that would support that.
6. Attend Michele Pato’s course at the APA on how to do research without much in the way of research support.
5. Try to decide what type of research you want to pursue 

Some like a type of research, such as genetics, epidemiology, clinical trials, brain imaging.  Some like an illness focus, such as Autism, Schizophrenia, Alcoholism, Borderline Personality Disorder.  You will find that each of these areas is likely to have a meeting of psychiatric researchers sometime during the year.  Use the internet to explore such meetings, and see if your program will let you attend.  Some groups even sponsor travel awards to come to the meeting.

1. Think about research-related activities such as writing case reports, literature reviews, quality improvement projects, or leading educational activities related to research such as journal clubs and Evidence Based Medicine sessions.  Do them with a faculty member who will guide you.
2. Prepare a poster about your work, or of work on which you were a collaborator.  See if there is a poster session at your institution.  Also submit it for the APA Young Investigator Sessions at the Annual Meeting.
3. Get a “Primer” on research.  One we can recommend is the “Research Manual: A Primer for Basic Research Competencies and a First Research Project” by Alan Podawiltz, Chair of Psychiatry at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (write to ask for it).  Also excellent is “Scientific Integrity” by Francis Macrina, with chapters on mentorship, authorship and peer review
4. Pay attention to the research-oriented lectures/seminars in your department and medical school. There are usually online calendars or email lists to announce such events.
5. See the list of national research awards and fellowships (below).

Ron Rieder, M.D. and the AADPRT Research Taskforce
April, 2008

Research Awards & Fellowships
Compiled by Art Walaszek, University of Wisconsin
Last updated June 13, 2007

Society of Biological Psychiatry Travel Fellowship Award
This competitive award pays for travel to the Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting, held immediately before the annual APA meeting and in the same city.
Eligibility: PGY3-5
Timeline: applications are due in January for the meeting in May
More information: Society for Biological Psychiatry

APA/Janssen Resident Psychiatric Research Scholars Program
The program will focus on clinical and health services research in all areas of psychiatry. Persons selected to participate in the Janssen Scholars Program will have travel support to attend the APA annual meeting for two years and also up to $2,500 to conduct a small research project under the guidance of a mentor.
Eligibility: PGY1-3
Timeline: applications are due in January for the meeting in May
More information: APA/Janssen website or e-mail Ernesto Guerra

Pittsburgh/Stanford Research Career Development Institute
The aims of the Institute are to offer a broad-based group of young investigators an increased general knowledge of what a research career involves in academic psychiatry; to provide an update on new methods of psychiatric research; to discuss strategies for shortening the time interval between the end of the research training period and receipt of the first extramural grant support; and to foster relationships
with established investigators who could work over the long term as mentors or consultants and with other developing investigators in order to facilitate peer support and collaborative research.
Eligibility: PGY4+
Timeline: applications are due in January for the April meeting
More information: Career Development Institute for Psychiatry

NIMH Outstanding Resident Award
This award is intended to honor PGY2 psychiatric residents with outstanding academic potential. One nomination per program. Factors to be considered include CV and brief description by nominee of interest in a career in academic psychiatry and/or clinical research. All award recipients will give a 10-15 minute talk about their research.
Eligibility: PGY2
Timeline: applications are due in May for the October award program
More information: NIMH award website
NIH Loan Repayment Program
More information: National Institutes of Health

ACNP/Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals Fellowship Awards for Minorities
Sanofi-Aventis has provided an educational grant to the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) to encourage the development of young scientists from minority populations. Fellows attend the presitigious annual ACNP meeting in December, as well as invitations to the following annual meetings.
Eligibility: any PGY1; must be U.S. or permanent resident
Timeline: applications are due in April with June notification for December meeting
More information: ACNP fellowships & awards

APIRE Program for Minority Research Training in Psychiatry
The APA's Program for Minority Research Training in Psychiatry is designed to increase the number of minorities in research. Each year, 10 underrepresented minorities will be selected as "mini-fellows" who will attend the annual APA meeting. Funding is via NIMH.
Eligibility: underrepresented minority; must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Timeline: applications are due in February for May meeting
More information: e-mail APIRE

Resident Travel Award for Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference
The Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference is the nation's longest running scientific meeting devoted to exploring the latest research findings related to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Up to 3 awardees receive free travel and lodging as well as a $150 cash award.
Eligibility: any psychiatry resident interested in schizophrenia
Timeline: September deadline for November meeting
More information: e-mail Michael Travis at Pitt

Emory University Senior Resident Symposium
At this annual meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida, 1-2 residents from each program attend seminars covering the diagnosis, biology and treatment of major psychiatric disorders. This is also a major opportunity for networking with national leaders in psychiatry.
Eligibility: PGY2 or higher, not necessarily in Research Track
Timeline: applications are due in May for the August meeting

AADPRT Research Taskforce

In response to a shortage of psychiatrist researchers, as determined by the Institute of Medicine in their 2003 report, Research Training in Psychiatry Residency: Strategies for Reform, a National Psychiatry Training Council (NPTC) was established, comprised of stakeholders in postgraduate education and research. AADPRT is represented in the NPTC and its subcommittees. The goals of the NPTC to address barriers to developing more psychiatrist researchers were initially addressed through subcommittees reviewing topics such as research track models in residency training, increasing research and scholarly activity in residency, retention of researchers, personal factors and regulatory factors. The aim is to provide earlier exposure to research for those who are interested and to facilitate research training for trainees at programs lacking research resources.

Recommendations of the National Psychiatry Training Council (NPTC) September, 2005 (MS Word document - member access required)

Position Statement Regarding Research Training in Psychiatry Residency

March 30, 2005

AADPRT recognizes the importance of research for the advancement of our field, and the importance of research literacy for the competent practice of psychiatry and for lifelong learning. Accordingly:

1. AADPRT strongly supports the teaching of research literacy for all psychiatry residents. We propose the following working definition of research literacy and its connection with Evidence Based Medicine for purposes of psychiatric education:

Research literacy is the ability to critically appraise and understand the relevant research literature, and to apply research findings to clinical practice.

The concepts and process of Evidence Based Medicine or Evidence Based Clinical Practice include skill development in question formulation, information searching, critical appraisal, and medical decision-making, thus providing an excellent structure for teaching research literacy to psychiatry residents.

2. AADPRT strongly supports facilitating research training during psychiatry residency to develop and foster the careers of future clinician scientists, with the understanding that the primary purpose of residency training is to ensure that all graduates are clinically competent psychiatrists.

The amount of time allowed for research during residency by the current RRC requirements is not the primary obstacle to research training in general psychiatry residency training since, for example, the present requirements can provide up to 16-17 months during the 4-year general psychiatry residency that can be used for concurrent research training along with other requirements (see attached model template for research training during general psychiatry training). Most residency directors and/or departments do not or cannot take advantage of this potential research time, not because of RRC requirements, but due to obstacles 1-3, below.

Obstacles to research training in psychiatry residency include:

1. Funding for resident research time, since this is not funded by IME/DME
2. Coverage of clinical services when residents are doing research rotations
3. Availability of research mentors

We suggest the following areas for further study:

1. Followup of psychiatry residents to provide data regarding factors stimulating, maintaining, or discouraging pursuit of research careers, particularly in clinical research.
2. Innovative proposals to integrate research and clinical training during residency, especially in child and adolescent psychiatry and other subspecialties. Some templates for incorporating research into subspecialty training within the current RRC requirements, and a description of limitations of these models, are attached. AADPRT recommends that a group with representation from the RRC, the ABPN, and AADPRT be formed to facilitate review of such proposals and consider their implementation over the next five years.
3. AADPRT would like to continue to work with the NIMH and other stakeholders to ensure that reasonable funding mechanisms are continued and made available to these early career psychiatrist-investigators to support their ability to continue to pursue research careers once they have finished residency training.

Model for a Research Track Within a 4-year Psychiatry Residency

AADPRT Research Taskforce, March, 2005

Notes:

1. This schedule allows 16 months of research time within a 4-year general Psychiatry residency and fulfills current RRC requirements (assuming that addictions and geriatrics rotations are included in inpatient or outpatient psychiatry blocks). This schedule includes one month of emergency psychiatry, but there is actually no timed requirement for emergency psychiatry. Thus, as long as the resident has exposure to emergency psychiatry (other than night call), up to 17 months could be available for research.
2. Clinical work on inpatient and/or outpatient research units/clinics can be included under inpatient and/or outpatient psychiatry, thus potentially allowing more than 16 months for any clinical research that includes direct patient care.
3. Obstacles to making use of this amount of research time (as identified by residency program directors) include:
1. FUNDING FOR RESIDENT RESEARCH TIME: DME/IME funds for resident stipends only cover resident research time spent in direct patient care, and even then obtaining this funding is highly variable and depends on the local Medicare intermediary.
2. AVAILABILITY AND INVOLVEMENT OF RESEARCH MENTORS
3. IMPACT ON CLINICAL OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT Often, clinical services depend on residents and thus allowing residents maximal research time compromises the running of clinical services. Allowing research time depends on the willingness of the Chair and the department to cover clinical services in other ways.
4. 4. Changes that would require RRC approval (i.e. do NOT meet current RRC requirements) would include (for example):
1. Increasing the length of the training program (e.g. to 5 years) to permit more research time.
2. Including substantial research time in the PGY-1 year
3. Changing or decreasing requirements for specific clinical rotations
1. Assuming that the goal of residency training is to provide clinical training and to ensure that graduates are competent to practice clinical psychiatry AND that clinical researchers should be clinically competent psychiatrists, this raises the important issue of how much clinical training is necessary to ensure an acceptable level of competency.

Model for a Research Track Within a 5-year Child and Adult Psychiatry Residency

Notes:

1. The Child program can actually begin at any point following the PGY-1 year.
2. This assumes that requirements for geriatric and addiction psychiatry are met as part of outpatient psychiatry rotation.
3. This provides about 12 months FTE research time, plus whatever elective time is available for research within the individual Child program (variable, since there are no timed requirements for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry apart from requirement for 4-10 months inpatient/acute care).
4. Changes that would require RRC approval would include:
1. beginning Child in PGY-1 year
2. more integration of Child and adult psychiatry rotations and research over the 5 years (desirable since residents probably wish to do clinical research related to child and adolescent psychiatry, and thus would benefit from earlier exposure to clinical work in this area).
3. changes in duration of particular timed clinical requirements

Model for Research Track Combined with Other Subspecialty Training

Notes:

1. This model meets current RRC requirements (see comments regarding model for research track within a 4-year residency).
2. Changes that would require RRC approval would include:
1. Integrating subspecialty training into the PGY-4 year (or earlier)
2. Incorporating research time allowed during general residency program into subspecialty year

Download a PDF version of the AADPRT Research Statement.