Acquisition of Knowledge
The fellowship education program will have several components:
- Optional three-week course on the Fundamentals of Clinical Investigation
- Optional one-year course, Clinical Investigation for the Career Scientist
- Required 6-hour Ethics in Research seminar
- Recommended additional coursework to meet individual needs of trainees.
- Fellows will also have the opportunity to attend BCM and MEDVAMC Research Conferences and the weekly BCM Psychiatry Grand Rounds
The Fundamentals of Clinical Investigation and the Clinical Investigation for the Career Scientist courses will be taught at Baylor College of Medicine through the Clinical Scientist Training Program, a multidisciplinary didactic training program for researchers.
The Fundamentals of Clinical Investigation is a three-week course that offers the essentials of research design, statistics, and ethical issues.
Clinical Investigation for the Career Scientist is a yearlong bi-weekly course that includes training in clinical trials, grant development, translational research, and health services research.
The twice monthly Mental Health Research course will supplement the course from the Clinical Scientist Training Program and will be more specific to research issues in mental health research and career development.
The seminar will address mental health topics such as sampling, measurement, analytic strategies, legal and ethical concerns, and policy issues. These will be addressed through directed readings, faculty and student presentations of current literature, and presentations of current or potential research projects. The seminar will include representatives from mental health agencies and consumer groups. The content of these seminars will also be guided by the curriculum established by the hub site. The Ethics in Research seminar is required of all BCM scientists. This six-hour seminar covers topics such as data ownership and management, authorship, plagiarism and peer review, scientific misconduct with specific reference to conflicts of interest and policies, and ethical considerations in animal and human subject’s research.
Finally, coursework will be recommended based on prior education, clinical experience, and areas of competency which trainees bring to the program as outlined in the (c) Customized learning section. Faculty will individualize the academic and research programs for postdoctoral trainees with the goal of compensating for any academic or clinical deficits and enhancing trainees’ existing expertise, academic preparation, and research interests. In particular, mental health services fellows need to have an understanding of basic concepts in epidemiology, and all fellows need competence in statistics before fellowship completion. There is a rich selection of relevant coursework available to trainees from the University of Texas School of Public Health, University of Houston, and Rice University. Fellows may also attend content-specific courses in Health Services Research or Psychopharmacology.
Teaching Competence
Fellows may participate in Baylor College of Medicine faculty development programs. Fellows will also have the opportunity to co-lead and participate in the bimonthly Psychiatry Journal Clubs. Finally, fellows will be given teaching responsibilities by their clinical mentors and will receive feedback on their teaching.
Customized Learning
To customize each fellow’s learning experience, a rich selection of relevant coursework is available from the University of Texas School of Public Health, University of Houston, and Rice University. All fellows will be able to complete an MPH through the University Of Texas School Of Public Health, if so desired. Fellows may also attend content-specific course in Health Services Research or Psychopharmacology, as outlined below in the Health Services and Psychopharmacology emphasis sections.
