Research tracks

• PGY1

  PGY1 residents broaden their knowledge of current research projects and research-based initiatives within the department and learn how to integrate their research identity into a clinical identity to support the process of identifying a research interest and mentor. Residents meet with potential research mentors and the RRT director for feedback and guidance.

• PGY2

  The focus of PGY2 is to establish a relationship with their identified mentor and to get actively involved in a research project. Residents attend research track meetings, regularly meet with their mentor and participate in lab meetings.

• PGY3

  Residents are fully engaged in project design and implementation while building a foundational knowledge of methodologies, statistical approaches, and data presentation. Residents attend research track meetings, present a poster, regularly meet with their mentor and participate in their lab meetings.

• PGY4

  The focus of PGY4 is to complete the research track project, prepare and submit the results for publication, and present their project at Grand Rounds. Residents continue participating in lab meetings, meet with their research mentor on a monthly basis, attend research track meetings, present their work at national meetings and apply for travel fellowships.

• Presentation

  PGY-III and PGY-IV research track residents will be required to present results of their research project in poster format. Judges will review all posters based on scientific merit and presentation skills.

  PGY-IV research track residents will be required to present their research at Grand Rounds in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. This will give them an opportunity to learn how to communicate their research findings to a mixed scientific and clinical audience.

  We will require research-track residents to submit an abstract to a national meeting in their final year of residency training (American College of Neuropsychopharmacology [ACNP], the Society for Neuroscience [SFN], the Society of Biological Psychiatry [SOBP], and the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology [ASCP]. Attendance of meetings is pivotal for their scientific development and provides them an opportunity get critical feedback for their research project, to get a broader snapshot of cutting-edge scientific developments relevant to their field, and to network with other scientists.

• Seminar series

  Research Track Lunch is a monthly seminar series with all research track trainees that covers a diverse set of topics. Attendance of 70% of the seminars will be required for PGY-II to PGY-IV residents; PGY-I residents interested in research are invited to attend.

  We invite program faculty to discuss important considerations for residents interested in a career as a physician-scientist. These topics include:

  • The mentor-mentee relationship, and how to most effectively take advantage of a mentorship team.
  • How to determine a realistic scope for a research project during residency training.
  • We address common misconceptions about working in an academic environment and a physician-scientists’ lifestyle.
  • We discuss academic promotion within the institution, giving a clear timeline for an actual academic career path.
  • We invite junior and senior research faculty to reflect on their career path.
  • Given the reality that extensive debt burdens can limit the ability of young physicians to choose careers in research, we will also invite junior and senior researchers to educate residents on financial and lifestyle issues. We discuss benefit packages, performance incentives, prospects for moonlighting, and the NIH loan repayment program as opportunities to bridge the gap between earning potential in academic vs private practice settings.
  • Residents get an opportunity to present “practice runs” of presentations of their work at local and national conferences. Peer feedback will be an essential component of these practice runs.

  As part of the lunch seminar, we will have a workshop each year that will be taught by senior faculty members. This workshop will cover a broad range of topics, including (

  • how to search for available positions,
  • how to respond to job advertisements
  • how to craft an effective curriculum vitae and research statement,
  • how to prepare for a job interview, and
  • what skills are needed to successfully compete for a postdoctoral or faculty position.