NIGMS Predoctoral Training Program (5T32GM084903)

The program "Training at the Interface of the Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences" supports four predoctoral students per year for two year traineeships. It is a partnership of the California Center for Population Research (CCPR) and the Program in Health Psychology, and is funded for 2009-2014 by a T32 training grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The program trains predoctoral students from the behavioral and social sciences in biomedical theory, evidence, and methods and mentors them to integrate these approaches into health psychology and population health research. The goal is to produce interdisciplinary investigators who examine the complex pathways through which demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological processes influence and are influenced by health and disease. The two-year program includes a required year-long sequence of didactic coursework focused on the physiology of chronic diseases and pathways of social and psychological influence on disease processes, a weekly hour-long program proseminar, a one-quarter course in laboratory training and other activities. The proseminar includes discussions among trainees and program faculty about their ongoing work. By the end of the program, trainees are expected to complete a research project that integrates biomedical methods and evidence into a behavioral or population science study of health, and will lead into their dissertation and/or a publication.

The traineeships provide for full-time coursework and research training while enrolled at UCLA and while working under the sponsorship of two of the core or affiliated training grant faculty members, including a behavioral/population science and a biomedical mentor (see list below). The traineeships are for two years with the second year contingent on satisfactory progress in first year of fellowship, as determined by a review at the end of the first year. They provide a stipend, tuition and fees, some travel expenses to present research at conferences, and training-related expenses. In recent years, the twelve month stipend set by NIH has been approximately $22K. New cohorts are selected every two years in the spring for appointments beginning in September.

When new cohorts are being selected, announcements are sent to graduate student affiliates of the CCPR, as well as graduate students in the Department of Psychology. Graduate students in the Department of Psychology or affiliated with the California Center for Population Research are eligible to apply. The most important criteria for selection are academic potential and commitment to pursuing interdisciplinary research in the population/behavioral and biomedical sciences. Students who have not yet advanced to candidacy will be given priority.

Selections of trainees for the following academic year are made every spring quarter. Solicitations for applications are distributed over CCPR and other mailing lists in March/April. Selections are announced at the beginning of June. Appointments are normally from September 1 to August 31 of the following year. Since the training program is two years long, selections are normally made only every other year, unless there is a vacancy.

The training program particularly seeks qualified candidates from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups; individuals with disabilities; and individuals from economically, socially, culturally, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.

Affiliated faculty include (in alphabetical order): Elizabeth Breen (Medicine), Jennie Brand (Sociology), Dora Costa (Economics), Steve Cole (Medicine), Chris Dunkel Schetter (Psychology), Pascaline Dupas (Economics), Rita Effros (Medicine), Naomi Eisenberger (Psychology), Bridget Freisthler (Social Welfare), Patricia Ganz (Medicine), Gilbert Gee (Community Health Sciences), Chandra Ford (Community Health Sciences), Jessica Gipson (Community Health Sciences), Gail Greendale (Medicine), Carlos Grijalva (Psychology), Tara Gruenewald (Medicine), Patrick Heuveline (Sociology), Perry Hu (Medicine), Michael Irwin (Cousins Institute), Arun Karlamangla (Medicine), Michael Levine (Medicine), Adriana Lleras-Muney (Economics), Michael Lu (Medicine), Oto Martinez (Medicine), Sarosh Motivala (Medicine), Hector Myers (Psychology), Bruce Naliboff (Medicine), Anne Pebley (Community Health Sciences), Rena Repetti (Psychology), Ted Robles (Psychology), Teresa Seeman (Medicine), Annette Stanton (Psychology), Shelley Taylor (Psychology), Donald Treiman (Sociology), Dawn Upchurch (Community Health Sciences), and Lonnie Zeltzer (Medicine).