Training and Career Development

Research Fellowship in Geriatric Mood Disorders

(T32 MH019132-33, PI: Gunning)

This research fellowship has been competitively renewed six times since 1990 and offers training ranging from molecular biology, genetics, structural and functional neuroimaging, clinical pharmacology, treatment efficacy and effectiveness, and mental health services research. Its trainees have an exceptional academic record. Our T32 organizes its research training in a continuum in which our human neurobiology studies provide targets for our novel treatment development initiatives and our services research seeks to extend the quality and reach of mental health treatment in the community. 

We are recruiting applicants whose personalized training programs will be coordinated by two mentors (e.g. one clinical and one basic investigator) to facilitate translation research.  Beyond a core curriculum, we support our trainees in conducting their own studies, in preparing funding applications, and in publishing data-based papers. Successful applicants may have background and training in some or all of the following domains: geriatric mental health, cognitive and brain aging, neuropsychology, neuroimaging, or community-based psychosocial interventions. Clinical training and mentorship (inpatient, outpatient, and neuropsychological assessment) is available to interested candidates, and trainees may dedicate up to 20% of their time to clinical endeavors. 

Full-time positions are available. Start dates are flexible. Annual salary is competitive and consistent with national standards. There is a generous benefits package and additional support for travel, research presentations, and research expenses is provided. Training will take place at our Manhattan and Westchester campuses. Applicants to the T32 Research Fellowship must have an M.D. or Ph.D. and be either US citizens or hold a visa. 

Please submit your CV, along with a brief summary of your background and training goals, directly to and to Faith Gunning, Ph.D. at fgd2002@med.cornell.edu.

NIMH Research Career Institute in Mental Health of Aging

(CIMA, PI: Faith Gunning, Ph.D.) 

In addition to programs for trainees and faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine, we co-lead the Career Institute in Mental Health of Aging (CIMA), a national program devoted to the development of early career investigators focused on aging and mental health.

CIMA is designed to promote the research career of talented junior faculty, post-residency and post-doctoral fellows interested in:

• Mechanisms and developmental trajectories of behavioral pathology of mid- and late-life.
• Development of neurobiologically-informed novel treatment and prevention models for aging-related mental health needs.
• Delivery of mental health services to the aging community. 

CIMA’s aims are to help mentees clarify their research focus, develop and maintain requisite skills and a productivity record, and acquire mentorship and support needed for a career based on competitive funding. Its training vehicles are:

• An annual, five day research career development immersion program for 16-20 mentees.
• Pairing trainees with mentors during an one-year program focusing on both research content and planning.
• A web-based infrastructure to support ongoing, offsite mentoring, professional networking, and information exchange. 

CIMA’s relies on a leadership team with organizational experience gained through long service in two NIMH national research mentorship programs, the Summer Research Institute and the Advanced Research Institute. Its faculty consists of committed mid-career and senior NIH-funded investigators with a successful record in research mentorship informed by the field’s scientific developments and guided by the 2015 NIMH Strategic Priorities. 

For more information call Faith Gunning, Ph.D. at fgd2002@med.cornell.edu.