Requirements

Students are admitted to work with a specific mentor from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and develop a project with that mentor that involves interdisciplinary research at the behavioral-biomedical interface. Based on the collaboration and training necessary for their potential project, students select one or more biomedical co-mentors to help supervise their research or to provide them with experience in laboratory rotations that will complement their behavioral training. For a list of mentors, visit the Faculty Mentors page.

Participation in the Training Program involves a combination of coursework and laboratory experiences that provide students with a wide range of skills as well as the guidance and mentorship to conduct interface research. All students in the Training Program, regardless of whether they receive funding from the T32, are subject to Training Program requirements.

Training Program requirements include the following:

  1. Participate in the BBIP Seminar, held twice per month.
  2. Participate in the BBIP Annual Retreat.
  3. Take a comprehensive foundational course taught by Training Faculty: PSY5710 - Introduction to Health and Behavioral Sciences.
  4. Completion of two courses in quantitative methods (BBIP Quantitave Course Menu).
  5. It is strongly recommended that students take two interdisciplinary electives at the Brain-Behavior Interface (e.g. Neurobiology of Chronic Disease; Genetic epidemiology).
  6. Participate in an approved Responsible Conduct of Research course.
  7. Complete two laboratory rotations in the laboratories of biomedical faculty. Each rotation will be 6-8 weeks long, and will involve 15-20 hours/week of lab time. Steps for completing each rotation include:
  8. Generate an annual Individual Development Plan with the primary mentor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.