Two new National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grants—a $1.1 million R25 awarded to Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and a $1.7 million T32 awarded jointly to Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and North Carolina Central University—will provide much-needed support toward filling critical gaps in research training opportunities in mental health and developmental neuroscience.
Duke Psychiatry Physician Scientist Track Program
The NIH-funded Duke Psychiatry Physician Scientist Track (Duke-PPST) trains world-class psychiatrist-scientists by providing coordinated and sustained mentoring and research experiences for psychiatry residents.
The Duke-PPST provides psychiatry residents at Duke with early and intensive engagement in research. A key feature of the Duke-PPST is early and intensive engagement in research. For a typical four-year residency, the Duke-PPST offers about three months of full-time research during each of the PGY-1 and PGY-2 years. An additional 10 to 12 months of full-time research span the PGY-3 and PGY-4 years.
The Duke-PPST also offers flexibility in training. A typical four-year residency can, for example, be expanded to five years to offer greater research experience, and the program includes clinical fellowship such as child and adolescent psychiatry training.
Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program
With a strong emphasis on collaborative research and mentorship, the NIH-funded Duke-North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training program (DN-IPT) offers interdisciplinary postdoctoral research training focused on child psychiatry and neurodevelopment.
Through a partnership between Duke University School of Medicine and North Carolina Central University (NCCU), DN-IPT equips PhD, MD, and MD/PhD recipients with postdoctoral research training in developmental neuroscience research, employing advanced methodologies like brain imaging, computational and preclinical modeling, and digital health to improve diagnoses and treatments for children.