Phd Program in Social WelfarePhd Program in Social WelfareBack to Program Manual Table of Contents
PhD Program Manual Table of Contents
| Cite
NIMH Grant T32 MH20010 In all publications submitted. |
Director: Paula Nurius Ph. 685-1682; nurius@u.washington.edu |
| Coordinator: Kath Wilham Ph: 685/1680; kwilham@u.washington.edu |
The Predoctoral Prevention Research Training Program provides trainees with a foundation in aspects of mental health/mental illness incidence, prevalence, and theory and in research methods relevant for preventing mental health problems and disorders. The research training program follows the recommendations and structure outlined in the NIMH National Research Agenda for Prevention Research (for a readily accessible summary see Reiss & Price, 1996; Mrazek & Haggerty, 1994). The NIMH report emphasizes the importance of epidemiological concepts and methods in the prevention of mental problems and disorders, and identifies three primary conceptual “hubs” for prevention research and training. These hubs are (1) theories of etiology (often rooted in human development theory), (2) classifying and relating strategies for preventive intervention, and (3) identifying frames and methods for tailoring, implementing, and sustaining prevention practice in community systems and settings. Each of these hubs encompasses both substantive and methodological issues and skills.
The first conceptual hub, theories of etiology, involves the study of life-span development and research that identifies those factors—both personal and environmental—that affect a person’s development for good and ill across the life-span. The concept of person-environment interaction and theories for understanding person-environment “fit” are important aspects of this conceptual perspective. Substantive content includes the nature of theories required for theory-based prevention research; identification of common pathways of pathogenesis (and health); and the conceptualization of resilience. Methodological content includes techniques for statistical identification and modeling of risk and protective factors over time, and methods for testing theories of the operation and interaction of mediating and moderating factors affecting mental health outcomes. Use of such techniques is critical for selecting specific risk or protective factors as proximal or distal outcomes for preventive interventions.
The second conceptual hub addresses methods for changing human behavior and outcomes. This hub addresses theory and methods for assessing the malleability of identified risk and protective factors, and prospects for sustained change offered by existing intervention frameworks and methods. Specific content includes methods for identifying windows of opportunity for preventive intervention, for assessing individual- and community-level risk and resilience, for determining risk versus cost in intervention, for distinguishing responders from nonresponders, and for establishing decision-making criteria around the timing, intensity, scope, and duration of intervention activities to achieve sustained change.
The third conceptual hub focuses on community-based research and partnerships including exploring and defining communities; defining high-risk samples in community contexts; developing sustainable alliances and collaborative working relationships with community organizations, gatekeepers, and constituencies; recognizing and constructing indices of community stability and resilience; tailoring interventions and procedures to community perceptions, values, and standards; assessing the effectiveness of community-based interventions, especially adapting experimental designs to evaluate planned interventions in community settings; and implementing and sustaining the routine adoption of proven preventive interventions.
Reiss, D. & Price, R.H. (1996). National research agenda for prevention research.
American Psychologist, 51, 1109-15.Mrazek PJ and Haggerty RJ 1994, Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders: Frontiers for Preventive
Intervention Research, National Academy Press, Washington DC
Courses
In addition to the course requirements for the PhD program, trainees complete additional courses focused on prevention research.
[NOTE: A copy of the syllabus from each course must be submitted to the Program Director. These syllabi are then made available to other students to assist in making choices about appropriate courses. A binder in the Program Office contains a listing and syllabi from external courses.]
Past syllabi for all PhD courses, including the seminar and prevention science course, are located in the Student Services and the Program Office resource library.
Supervisory Committee
Supervisory Committees will be composed of at least four members of the University of Washington doctoral faculty, at least two of whom must be Social Welfare and one of whom is the Graduate School Representative (GSR). The Committee Chair is a member of the Prevention Research Training Program Faculty unless alternative arrangements are authorized by the Training Program Director. Trainees are encouraged to include faculty from other departments who can enrich the interdisciplinary perspective within their area of study.
Program of Study and Qualifying Examinations (Scholarly Paper)
Trainees undertake programs of study focused on research issues related to prevention of mental-health-related disorders and problems. At the beginning of the second year in the doctoral program, students submit a Learning Plan that outlines their proposed program of study.
Qualifying Scholarly Paper:
Written and Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the General Examination
Each student works closely with his/her advisor and subsequently with
his/her Supervisory Committee to identify and define the questions and
issues to be pursued in the student's individual program of study. The
NIMH mentor will be a member of this committee, and is usually chair.
The overall program of study is presented in the written Qualifying Scholarly
Paper, which serves as the written component of the General Examination
and which must be submitted for publication. Presentation of the completed
paper serves as the official Graduate School Oral General Examination.
Full guidelines for the preparation, approval, and presentation of the
Scholarly Paper are in the PhD
Program Manual.
Dissertation
Prevention Research in Mental Health
Trainees’ dissertations focus on important questions and issues in research related to prevention of mental disorders and problems. The Dissertation Prospectus is reviewed by a training program faculty member. Trainees are encouraged to develop dissertation research grant applications. Technical assistance is available from the Supervisory Committee, Associate Dean for Research, Training Program Director, PhD Program Assistant Director, and the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences (http://www.csss.washington.edu/).
Writing an Op Ed from the Dissertation
As part of the ongoing School commitment to research relevant to our wider social service community, each PhD student is encouraged to write an op ed or some other form of dissemination reflecting the dissertation research. The objective is to articulate the value to our community of the research questions and findings. When students submit their final dissertation defense requests, they are given a hand-out on how to write an op ed. For advice and help with the procedures, students are encouraged to consult with faculty members who regularly write such pieces.
Research Internships
During each year of the training program, trainees participate in funded internships (described in detail below) working closely with experienced faculty members in the conduct of research. These internships typically connect the student with a research project that provides the basis for their dissertation research.
Reporting Post-internship Professional Activities
As part of the NIMH reporting requirements, the Prevention Research Training Program must track all trainees over time. Therefore, when accepting the internship, trainees are agreeing to provide reports of their professional development and research activities both while in the doctoral program at the University of Washington and during the subsequent years. The program office will send annual requests for updated CVs to all former trainees and will keep these on file. The Training Program website will be updated annually to reflect the ongoing career development of trainees and the program database will track all publications, research grants, presentations, and other activities relevant to trainees’ careers in prevention research.
|
All
publications that pertain to research done during the internship
period must include an acknowledgment of the NIMH training grant
in the following format: |
Academic Advising
Upon entering the doctoral program, students are assigned a advisor who is a member of the program faculty and who is familiar with the requirements of the training program. When entering the training program, students are matched with a research mentor who often also serves as the primary academic advisor (serving on the formal Supervisory Committee). The mentors and student trainee need to regularly discuss progress and plans for timely progress through both the doctoral and training programs. When the academic advisor and research mentor are different individuals, communication between the faculty members involved with the student is important. Trainees and their academic advisors meet quarterly, or more frequently if indicated, to review progress, ensure that program requirements are being satisfactorily met, and plan next steps. All trainees also meet with the Director of the Prevention Research Training Program through seminars and individual or group meetings as needed.
First year. The First Year Advising Help Sheet provides an outline of academic advising needs during the first year in the program. Examples of this include providing help in structuring goal planning, reviewing progress, assisting in making decisions (e.g., about external courses), and connecting trainees with faculty and peers in the trainee’s area of interest (see First Year Advising Help Sheet in Faculty Program Manual).
Second year and beyond. When a Supervisory Committee is established, typically early in the second year, the Chair of this committee usually serves as the student’s primary academic advisor or co-adviser with the Training Program mentor if they are different. The Supervisory Committee includes the faculty person supervising the research internship (traineeship); this helps integrate the programmatic components. The Chair of a trainee's Supervisory Committee must be a member of the Training Program Faculty unless alternative arrangements are authorized by the Training Program Director.
The Supervisory Committee works with the student to develop the POS proposal, undertake the POS, and administer the written and oral qualifying examinations; dissertation work typically follows with the same committee. Specifically, Supervisory Committee members individually assume responsibility for one of the three areas (substantive, interventive, and methodological) and prepare the questions in their respective areas for the exam. The Supervisory Committee reviews the written exam and provides feedback in preparation for the oral examination.
Dissertation. The supervisory committee also approves the dissertation proposal, supervises the dissertation research, and conducts the final dissertation defense examination. Both the POS and dissertation proposals are reviewed by doctoral faculty members external to the Supervisory Committee, which for trainees is a Training Program faculty member to ensure relevance to the prevention of mental health disorders and adequacy in rigor and content.
Monitoring
Monitoring has several levels. Formal written evaluation of doctoral student progress and planning for the subsequent year is undertaken annually (Advising Checklist). For trainees, these evaluations include items specific to the training program. In addition, trainees develop the following with their mentors: a) annual and quarterly goals for the research internship and ways to achieve them and b) end-of-year evaluation of the extent to which these goals were achieved, what problems encountered, and how such problems were resolved. All three planning and monitoring forms include self-evaluations by students as well as faculty evaluations. Only trainees in good standing (i.e., making satisfactory progress in the program) are permitted to continue their internship in current or subsequent years.
Evaluation of Student Progress in the Training Program
Formal written evaluation of doctoral student progress and planning for the subsequent year is undertaken annually and forwarded to the Training Program Director for review (a standard form is used for this purpose and compliance is monitored by the Doctoral Program Office). Only trainees in good standing (i.e., making satisfactory progress in a program of study that sustains meaningful involvement in prevention research pursuits) are permitted to continue their internship. To obtain feedback and recommendations for optimizing trainee development, the Training Program Director also regularly solicits input through seminars and surveys, and conducts an exit interview with trainees upon their completion of the program.
Evaluation of Internship
At the end of each internship cycle, trainees meet with the mentors to evaluate the internship and plan the goals for the coming year. When evaluating the internship, the original goals and objectives for the year are reviewed, and an assessment of the extent to which they were met is included in the evaluation. (See Appendix for forms.)
Purpose
Faculty Eligibility Requirements
Requirements
Support
Research training support
is for 2-3 years with annual evaluations to ensure satisfactory progress.
If a student is placed on probation or is not making satisfactory progress
through the training program components, the internship may not be renewed.
Students must be registered full-time during Autumn/Winter/Spring quarters
(10 credits) and at least part-time during Summer (2 credits). The trainee's
stipend is paid by the NIMH program grant, and tuition and health benefits
are paid by a combination of the grant and the School PhD Program fund.
| NIMH
Financial Agreement Trainees who accept grant support from the NIMH may not accept additional paid positions at the University with the exception of short-term positions: such as short-term hourly appointments or a 1-quarter Teaching Assistantship per year. Any such outside appointment must be approved in advance by both the NIMH Program Director and the PhD Program Director. |
Mentoring
There is overlap among the functions of advising, monitoring, and mentoring and the roles of instructor, collaborator, and evaluator. However, because we see mentoring as crucial to a smooth, coherent training experience, to socialization into the role, and to the development of independent researchers who are insightful and confident as well as skilled, we pay explicit attention to mentoring functions. Mentors refer to the training program faculty who are supervising the research internships; these are often the same faculty members who chair the Supervisory Committees. However, mentors may functionally include additional researchers in instances where project or committee teams are important to how the internship is structured. In all instances, however, it is essential that the identified mentor remain pivotal and actively engaged with the trainee, coordinating and supervising her or his research training experience.
Mentoring occurs on four levels. 1) At the start of each year, Dr. Nurius, as Training Program Director, reviews the goals, planned means of achieving them, and monitoring tools identified by each mentor-trainee team. This will be coupled with individual orientation to the training program for new trainees and an event bringing all mentors and trainees together. 2) Trainees should generally meet weekly with their mentors. The meetings focus on specific aspects of the trainee’s supervised research project as well professional development. 3) We see peer mentoring to be an important complement and structure that in two ways: a) newly entering trainees are assigned an advanced trainee as part of a “buddy” system and b) the integrative seminar—which meets throughout the year—combines trainees from across years. Trainees are expected to give brief reports of their progress on their plan of research and professional development as part of the seminar. 4) The mentor group meets periodically. This has been encouraged by mentors as an aid in establishing faculty norms about expectations, sharing strategies for problem solving and effective mentoring, enhancing coordination between the internships and other aspects of the training and doctoral program, and building a sense of community among faculty and students involved in the training program.
Collaborations and Professional Development: Research mentoring for trainees typically offers greater continuity and a longer continuous working relationship between trainees and mentors than is common through other venues such as research assistantships. Thus, mentoring needs to be sequenced with trainees’ developmental trajectories. Incoming students generally benefit from structured meeting, assignment, and discussion/review schedules, whereas students in later years may have a more individualized system of coordinating with the mentor. Inclusion in the ongoing commerce and activities of a research group is important, both to incorporate trainees into the life of the project and to help “unpack” the details, issues, and processes involved in the research enterprise.
We strongly urge that at the earliest possible point, trainees be actively involved in developing abstracts and papers for presentation at professional conferences, writing for publication, and preparing grant applications. These are activities that place students in the heart of the knowledge-building mission of research and thus are essential to the speed and sophistication of their training. These are also indicators of productivity that are important to students’ job marketability and to the NIMH as the funding source that reviews our program and trainee productivity profiles.
Productivity Guideposts
"Productivity" = publications, grant procurement, well placed conference presentations, and post-PhD research positions in good time. We recognize these as among the markers of competitive portfolios for our students. They are also critical criteria to achieve continued funding for federally funded research training programs! Training funding directions indicate that, more than ever, we need to be proactive and sustained in our initiative to develop opportunities and guide trainees toward high productivity. Faculty as advisors, committee members, and particularly research mentors are pivotal to success.
Here are some suggested productivity guideposts to embed with other project activities:
1st year = involvement with research activities designed to lead to a publication or presentation;
2nd year = coauthor on a minimum of one submitted presentation abstract and one manuscript submitted for publication;
3rd year = coauthor on a minimum of one new abstract submitted and at least one additional manuscript submitted; direct involvement with grant development, ideally including future support for the trainee;
4th year = continued minimum of one new abstract and one new manuscript submitted, with increasing responsibilities and advanced author order; sustained grant funding pursuits;
5th year= grant supported research; continued minimum on other criteria; active job search for a position that supports health promotion/prevention research career aims.
Accurate information about all trainee activities during their tenure in the program is critical to the development and future of the overall program.
Each year trainees submit a comprehensive list of their activities such as
These activities must be listed on the data forms sent to the NIMH annually in the fall and are necessary for tracking of trainee development as a reflection of the program's success.
Copies of all papers that are accepted for publication must be forwarded to the Training Program Director. These will be entered into the database of the program and placed in the Training Program library reserves.
In addition to the requests for information about such activities, at the beginning of each year the program office requests that trainees update their listing on the Training Program website. This information about their research projects and plans for the year serves as an important source of information for potential applicants to the program, and these updates are very important.
Copies of the syllabi for all external courses must also be forwarded to the Program Director, who will place them in a binder in the Program Office.
Post-internship reporting is also important to the continuing success of the program. Each summer the program office will contact all former trainees to request updated CVs and other information about their professional development and research activities related to prevention research.
Each trainee is expected to travel annually to at least one conference or workshop directly related to his/her prevention research substantive interests. The training grant provides $1250 per trainee per year as a travel fund. This fund can be used for accommodations, registration fees, per diem expenses, and travel. The goal of this aspect of the program is to provide trainees with opportunities to present their work in poster sessions and presentations, and to gain special training at workshops.
The travel request form is filled out by the trainee (see Appendix) and submitted to the Program Director at least 1 month before a conference. For June conferences, the form must be submitted by mid-April to ensure that the funds are encumbered before the end of the fiscal year. The Program Director approves the form and forwards it to the Dean's office for the Dean’s signature, along with copies to the trainee and the grant budget officer (Mike Winans; mwinans@u.washington.edu). As soon as the trainee receives the approval notice, she/he should make all necessary arrangements (conference registration, travel, lodging) and contact the Budget Officer to have the airfare charged directly to the school. All correspondence/email between the Administration and the trainee should be cc'd to Kath Wilham (kwilham@u.washington.edu). The trainee is fully responsible for knowing the University travel regulations. No reimbursement is made without original receipts.
| IMPORTANT: The allowance for each fiscal year must be used within that year of the grant (July 1 to June 30). Travel must occur before June 30. |
Trainees are required to submit copies to the program office of any presentations/papers delivered at conferences. These can be forwarded at the time of the conference or provided at the end of the year with the evaluation form for the research internship.
The Training Program maintains a resource library of literature on theory, methods, and interventions related to prevention research. This collection is housed in the Social Work Library as a permanent reserve list for the Training Program Seminar. Books can be checked out for a 7-day period. The list is available by searching the University Library Catalog for the course reserves (Social Welfare 578 (http://catalog.lib.washington.edu/search~/r).
The Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences is the first Center in the nation devoted to this interface, with the triple mission of galvanizing collaborative research between social scientists and statisticians, developing a menu of new graduate courses for social science students, and putting together an innovative case-based undergraduate statistics sequence for the social sciences.
In addition to developing this area on campus, the Center aims to lead a renaissance of statistical methodology in the social sciences nationally and internationally. Several of the intellectual themes of this new generation of methods have already become apparent. One is the analysis of data that are dependent, for example because their spatial position is important, or because they arise from a social network. Another is the development of ways to make causal inferences from observational data or social experiments. A further thrust is towards the valid use of complex simulation models.
http://www.csss.washington.edu/
Activities
Seminar Series: Run by
CSSS Seminar Director Rob Warren and meeting on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm
in Savery 209. This series features a great deal of interaction and discussion,
and has led to many interdisciplinary contacts. Working groups have started
up: one on Causal Analysis and one on Social Networks.
Workshops: A series of workshops is planned annually. For example, in 2001 CSSS sponsored a workshop on Bayesian Perspectives on Spatial Analysis in the Social Sciences.
Working Papers: Submissions are invited for the CSSS series of working papers issued on the CSSS website. Papers should be submitted by a faculty member of CSSS, but may be authored by anyone. Submissions may be made at any time. Papers dealing with statistical research in the social sciences or social science research that involves statistical analysis are appropriate. Working papers issued on the CSSS website may also be issued as working papers in other series, such as the CSDE Working Paper series and the Department of Statistics Technical Report series.
Graduate and Undergraduate Courses: CSSS offers a rich menu of new Graduate and Undergraduate Courses for social science students, in close collaboration with the Statistics Department. Those approved to satisfy the NIMH Prevention Training Program cognate requirement for advanced statistical course are listed in the approved courses document.
Resources
Consulting Service: The Statistical Consulting Service for the Social
Sciences is available to clients from across the social sciences on campus
and beyond, including the State's HEC Board and United Way. It is run
by CSSS Consulting Director Peter Hoff.
Statistical services available to faculty and students include:
Seed Grants: The Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences (CSSS) Seed Grants Program announces a new round of seed grants for the year 2002-3. The Seed Grants Program provides funding for promising research at the intersection of statistics and the social sciences. The goal is to stimulate scholarly initiative by encouraging faculty to explore new directions in research and scholarship that contributes at the cutting edge to the development of statistical methods for social scientific problems. Although we encourage collaborative research across disciplines-particularly between statisticians and social scientists-such collaboration is not a formal requirement of the program. We are particularly interested in projects that show a high probability of leading to extramural funding. Thus, the funds will typically be used to pursue pilot studies, feasibility studies, or preliminary research that initiates a larger line of research. A subsequent extramural grant that derives from seed grant funding would be administered through CSSS. Awards will be in the range of $10,000-20,000, and typically include one-month summary salary for a principal investigator and one quarter salary for a research assistant. In the past, proposals have had a high rate of funding. This year, we have funds to make as many as 10-15 awards this cycle. We have up to $200,000 to make awards in the coming biennium.
Newsletter: The Center publishes a quarterly newsletter with updates on research and grant activities, and information about coming events.
| Core Faculty | Contributing Faculty |
Paula Nurius, Program
Director, Professor |
Robert Abbott, Professor |
Richard Catalano, Professor |
Kathryn Barnard, Professor |
Lewayne Gilchrist,
Professor |
Ana Mari Cauce, Professor |
David Hawkins, Professor |
Noel Chrisman,
Professor |
Robert McMahon, Professor |
Jon Conte, Professor |
Diane Morrison, Research
Professor |
Tracy Harachi, Research
Associate Professor |
David Takeuchi |
Wayne Katon, Professor |
Edwina Uehara, Professor |
Maureen Marcenko,
Associate Professor |
| Elizabeth
Wells, Research Professor |
Peter Pecora, Associate
Professor |
|
Frederick Rivara, Professor |
| Staff |
Roger Roffman, Professor |
Kath Wilham, Program
Coordinator |
Sue Spieker, Research
Associate Professor |
Mike Winans,
Budget Officer |
Elaine Thompson, Professor |
Mary Grembowski,
Personnel |
Karina Walters, Associate
Professor |
Kim Dennison,
Payroll Coordinator |
Carolyn Webster-Stratton,
Professor, |
James Whittaker, Professor |
Fall
All below items must be completed as part of the implementing or renewing
payroll status.
Goal planning form for coming year
Evaluation of previous year
NIMH continuing trainee form
NIMH termination notice form
Update project description for WEB
Winter
Mid-year update of activities for grant renewal
Summer
Exit interview (for students finishing program)
All quarters
External course syllabi submitted to Program Office
Cite NIMH GRANT T32 MH 20010 in all publications submitted
Travel Request form (at least 1 month prior to event)