MISSION:

The purpose of this training grant, called the Community Academic Research Training Alliance (CARTA), is three-fold:  

• to train the next generation of behavioral scientists in conducting patient-oriented psychosocial interventions research with underserved populations in the agencies that serve them,
• to increase the number of junior researchers in patient-oriented, psychosocial interventions research and
• to develope a training program in psychosocial interventions research for staff in community agencies who would be future research partners. The intent is to develope a program that could be modeled by other medical centers to foster better research collaborations between academia and the community. 
  

AIMS:

Train two post-doctoral fellows a year in the intricacies of conducting research with underserved populations in the agencies and settings that serve them. There is a dearth of clinical researchers studying ways to overcome mental health disparities in disadvantaged populations.  Through participation in this program, fellows will gain an understanding of the needs of underserved populations, learn how to build partnerships with community agencies, and learn how to meet the challenges of conducting research in these settings by using recruitment methodologies, measurement techniques and alternative research designs that best fit the community context.