Alcohol Research Training Program
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Graduate School of  Public Health
Program Director: Marie D. Cornelius, Ph.D.
Program Co-Director: Nancy L. Day, Ph.D.

 

Program Description Program Faculty Research Interests Current Students Seminars Training Application Procedures Links Contact Information


 

Training

Postdoctoral fellows are involved primarily in research. They work in a specific area and develop expertise that will prepare them for a career in alcohol research. At entry into the Training Program, postdoctoral fellows define with their adviser an area of research interest and a project that can be completed within the available time. Fellows are expected to complete a grant proposal by the end of their second year of training. This is usually a Scientist Development Award or a New Investigator Award application.

Two types of postdoctoral fellows are selected. The first group has already demonstrated research skills and wishes to learn how to apply these skills to research in the alcohol field. In general, these fellows are PhD's trained in fields such as epidemiology, psychology, sociology, or anthropology. Fellows may participate in the courses on behavioral and psychopharmacological research and may fulfill the requirements of a master's degree in public health. The second type of postdoctoral fellow is usually a person with a more clinical background like a MD or other clinical degree. Many of these postdoctoral students elect to fulfill the requirement for a Master’s Degree in Public Health, although any postdoctoral fellow can take advantage of completing a MPH degree and would follow an example of a course sequence below:

 

YEAR ONE

YEAR TWO

 

 

Fall Term

Fall Term

EPID 2110 – Principles of Epidemiology

EPID 2600 – Molecular Epidemiology (genetics)

BIOS 2041 – Introduction to Statistical Methods I

EPID 2400 – Behavioral Risk Factors in Disease

BIOS 2092 – Introduction to Computing

 

BIOS 2093 – Data Management and Analysis

Spring Term

EPID 2340 – Epidemiology of Children’s Psychiatric Disorders

Spring Term

BIOS 2016 – Introduction to Sampling

EPID 2180 – Epidemiological Methods I

EPID 2270 – Pathology of Disease for Public Health Students

BIOS 2042 – Introduction to Statistical Methods II

IDM 2011 – Health, Disease, and Environment I

Summer Term

EOH 2012 – Health, Disease and Environment II

BIOS 2049 – Applied Regression Analysis

 

Summer Term

EPID 2230 – Epidemiological Methods II

YEAR THREE

Fall Term

EPID 2260 – Epidemiological Basis for Disease Control

EPID 2181 – Design of Clinical Trials

 

Our trainees have utilized other courses within the Graduate School of Public Health. These courses include: Forensic Epidemiology, Injury Epidemiology, Epidemiology of Women’s Health, Physiology in Women, Introduction to Pharmacoepidemiology, Environmental Causes of Reproductive Failure, Analysis of Cohort Studies, Survival Analysis, Health Survey Methods, Experimental Design, and Historical and Sociological Perspectives in Public Health. In addition, all fellows attend a weekly seminar. This seminar, coordinated by Dr. Cornelius, covers conceptual issues and study design in alcohol research and also focuses on analytic issues. This seminar is a combination of student presentations and presentations from invited faculty members on both conceptual and methodological issues. This seminar helps the students integrate coursework with their own research and serves as a useful forum for the students and faculty to discuss problems that arise in design and analysis. Students use the seminar to get reactions to research proposal ideas and plans for data analysis. It also exposes the students to the range of faculty research interests as well as giving more opportunity for informal interaction between students and faculty.