Intensive short-term research training for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students: early experience with a new national-level approach in geriatric mental health.
OBJECTIVE
There is an urgent need for research training in psychiatry at early career stages, especially in geriatric psychiatry. The authors describe their first-year experience with the Summer Training in Aging Research Topics-in Mental Health (START-MH), a new federally funded national-level training program intended to offer intensive short-term research training for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students.


METHODS
The funding was used primarily to pay stipends for trainees who spent 10 weeks during the Summer working on research projects under established research mentors. At the end, a workshop brought together all the trainees who presented research posters.


RESULTS
Thirty trainees were selected from among 85 applicants. They worked on projects including basic, translational, clinical, or services research. Evaluations from trainees and mentors were uniformly positive. All the trainees reported that the START-MH program enhanced their interest in pursuing a career in geriatric mental health research. Several trainees later submitted their work for presentation or publication.


CONCLUSIONS
The initial data suggest that the START-MH program can be a potentially useful model for attracting talented early-career trainees into mental health research.
Halpain
Maureen C
MC
Department of Psychiatry, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, CA 92161, USA.
Jeste
Dilip V
DV
Trinidad
Geraldine I
GI
Wetherell
Julie L
JL
Lebowitz
Barry D
BD
D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D004493:Education; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research / Q000193:education*; D013337:Students, Medical; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors