Research Infrastructure
Pilot Projects. The major goal of this program is to stimulate and support new research endeavors to increase the level of externally funded research in the Department. Projects are funded up to $25,000 from this Program. This program reflects the cross-institutional philosophy of the "Shared Chair" by supporting projects throughout the affiliated hospitals. Pilot projects are chosen by the Research Committee which is a sub-committee of Executive Committee on Research.
Research Training. The DPHB has five T32 research training fellowship programs in Child Mental Health, Combined Treatment Modalities, Dementia, Behavioral Medicine and Alcohol Treatment. Psychology interns are also often funded via F32 grants written with a faculty mentor. There are opportunities for research concentration in the General Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry residencies. Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry fellows can devote their second year to research training. All these programs enhance faculty research and lead to training of people who will eventually join our faculty as researchers.
Research Symposia. One of the new developments in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior's outreach efforts has been the inception of the Annual Research Symposium on Mental Health Sciences. The symposium provides national leaders, the Rhode Island community, and Department members a venue in which to view and discuss the groundbreaking research being conducted within the Department and beyond. As well, it encourages the development of ongoing dialogues to span across research areas and disciplines.
Brown Brain Science Program. This is a collaborative program between the DPHB and the campus based Departments of Cognitive Linguistic Science, Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience and Psychology. The Program supports externally funded projects in incorporating tools, such as fMRI, and theoretical neurosciences, into the research framework that already exists in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior.
Externally Funded Projects. Research activities conducted by DPHB faculty include over 188 ongoing studies funded by external sources such as the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD).