Training and Career Development

We are currently seeking competitive applications for the T32 Research Fellowship Program in Geriatric Mood Disorders, which has been offering multidisciplinary training for 30 years. This successful T32 has undergone continuous transformation in response to scientific developments, National Academy of Medicine mandates, the NIMH Strategic Priorities, the RDoc Project, and the evolving expertise of our current faculty. The new 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.

The Program’s strengths include: 1) The academic record of its trainees; the 5 fellows trained of the past 10 years received 3 NIMH Career Development K Award grants; 2) Leadership in research training at a national level (PIs of the NIMH Summer Research Institute and the Advanced Research Institute); 3) NIMH-funded faculty in translational research ranging from molecular genetics, neuroimaging, clinical pharmacology, intervention development, and mental health services research; 4) Cohesive organization of the Cornell Institute; 5) Nine Cornell pilot project grant programs; 6) Rich study populations and laboratory resources; 7) Databases available for secondary analyses and hypothesis generation by fellows; 8) Long and effective collaboration with investigators of Geriatric Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology and Services Research Program, Public Health, and Medical Ethics; and 9) Leadership in 8 multisite studies.

The Program is directed by funded investigators in clinical biology (Faith Gunning), novel treatment development (George Alexopoulos) and clinical mental health services research (Jo Anne Sirey) with a strong record in research training and by an Executive Committee with expertise in molecular genetics, neuroimaging, treatment development, community interventions, and minority studies.

We are seeking 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 beginning July 1, 2020. Start dates are flexible and successful applicants may begin their fellowship training between July1, 2020 and September 1, 2020, depending on candidate availability. 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 MD or PhD and be either US citizens or hold a visa.

Submission:

Please submit your CV, along with a brief summary of your background and training goals, directly to and to Faith Gunning, PhD at fgd2002@med.cornell.edu  and to George Alexopoulos, MD at gsalexop@med.cornell.edu.

This one-year, ACGME-accredited clinical fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry trains two psychiatrists each academic year. The objective of this program is to enable its fellows to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes in the clinical practice of Geriatric Psychiatry, to present and write scholarly papers, and to teach junior trainees.  

Learn More

Summer Research Institute (SRI). The SRI is an intensive 4-day program for junior scientists or physicians from around the country aspiring to a research career in geriatric mental health. It consists of lectures, group seminars, workshops, and individual and group consultation and mentoring of post-residency M.D.s or DOs as well as postdoctoral Ph.D., Psy.D. and Pharm.D. fellows. The program is oriented to the identification of the conditions needed to establish a research career to the "nuts and bolts" of research. For more information, about the program or for an application, go to https://mentalhealthtrainingnetwork.org/institutes/sri/home.

In addition to programs for trainees and faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College, we lead the 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: 1. Mechanisms and developmental trajectories of behavioral pathology of mid- and late-life. 2. Development of neurobiologically-informed novel treatment and prevention models for aging-related mental health needs; and 3. 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: 1. An annual, five day research career development immersion program for 16-20 mentees; 2. Pairing trainees with mentors during an one-year program focusing on both research content and planning; and 3. 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 Dr. Faith Gunning fgd2002@med.cornell.edu.

Senior and mid-career investigators of the Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry serve as mentors at ARI. ARI is a national mentoring program designed to help new investigators achieve their first R01 funding and assume the responsibilities of independent scientists. The program seeks to increase the number of independent investigators conducting translational, interventions and services research in geriatric mental health.  These aims contribute to ARI’s overarching mission to reduce the burden of mental disorders in late life.  ARI is supported by a grant to Dartmouth College from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; R25 MH068502; PI: Martha L. Bruce). For more information see https://mentalhealthtrainingnetwork.org/institutes/ari/home.