Yeates Conwell - US grants

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is for competitive renewal (Years 16 through 20) of an NIMH Institutional National Research Service Award (T32 MH20061) titled, Postdoctoral Training Program in Suicide Prevention Research. We seek support for six postdoctoral training slots. A component of the University of Rochester's (UR) Center for the Study of the Prevention Suicide (CSPS), the CSPS T32 has as its long-term objective to develop a cadre of early career scientists with the knowledge and experience necessary to establish careers as independent investigators and members of interdisciplinary teams dedicated to the study of suicide and its prevention. Training emphasizes suicide prevention research consistent with Objectives 3 (Strive for Prevention and Cures) and 4 (Strengthen the Public Health Impact) of the recently revised NIMH Strategic Plan. Fellows in eligible disciplines relevant to the study of suicide and its prevention undergo a two-year training sequence guided by an academic development plan designed by each fellow and her/his mentor at the outset of training. The curriculum includes a coordinated series of courses, seminars, and workshops designed to provide the fellow with a firm foundation in the theories and methods of suicide prevention research. Core areas of knowledge and skill development include (a) suicidology, (b) research methods, (c) academic career development and survival skills, and (d) professional integrity and the ethical conduct of research. Each fellow works with a Mentor and Co-Mentor selected from the UR faculty on development and implementation of an individually tailored program of applied suicide prevention research. As well, fellows establish ties with a rich network of off-site expert consultants with histories of collaboration with the CSPS. A third year of mentored research training is available on a selective basis. An evaluation plan closely tracks the performance of each trainee and, over the longer term, of the program itself in preparing its graduates for careers in intervention, outcomes, and health services research in general and suicide prevention studies in particular. The CSPS T32 has been successful in recruiting fellows who are from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds. Retention through the program and into careers in suicide prevention research has been excellent. Program innovations with this application include (a) incorporation into the T32 curriculum of coursework and skill-building workshops that address application of information technologies to suicide prevention research and NIMH priorities of data harmonization and data sharing; and (b) integration of the program with CSPS global health initiatives on suicide prevention research; and (c) linkage with (i) the University's recently established Institute for Data Science, (ii) Schyve Center for Bioethics, and (iii) National Center for Deaf Health Research.

Project summary: Early evidence indicates an association between emotional (eudaimonic and hedonic) well- being (EWB) and underlying brain processes, and that those processes change with both normal and pathological brain aging. However, the nature of these associations, the mechanisms by which EWB and its component domains change with brain aging, and how those changes may be associated with common neuropathologies like Alzheimer?s disease and related dementias (ADRD), are largely unexplored. The objective of the Network for Emotional Well-being and Brain Aging (NEW Brain Aging) is to address priority area #2 ? mechanistic research on the role of emotional well-being in health ? of RFA-AT-20-003, identifying and testing mechanisms by which brain aging influences EWB and how EWB may impact risk for and progression of ADRD. Synthesizing human and animal literature, our premise is that relationships between EWB and ADRD are bidirectional ? normal and pathological changes in aging brain influence EWB and EWB contributes to brain health and illness, such as ADRD. Further, we hypothesize that the relationships between EWB and the brain in older adults reflect aging-associated heterogeneity of brain (i.e., resilience, typical aging, or neuropathological changes), and that they are mediated by processes of appraisal and adaptation. To do so we will form a national, transdisciplinary collaborative that includes investigators representing research expertise in human and animal neuroimaging, stress regulation, ADRD research, EWB, and computational/quantitative methods. With direction of an Executive Committee and guided by an External Advisory Committee, NEW Brain Aging will undertake these specific aims: (1) To build an inter-university and transdisciplinary collaborative of senior and junior investigators interested in brain, aging, and EWB research from both human and animal fields; (2) To form a series of time-limited workgroups with relevant experts in the field, each working over 1-2 years, to establish priorities for NEW Brain Aging activities in each of three general areas: (a) brain mechanism research of EWB; (b) research of EWB?s impact on ADRD; and (c) translational animal and cross-species brain research methods; (3) To coalesce and coordinate resources to ensure the rigor and reproducibility of the brain-related EWB research; (4) To provide three types of pilot funding through rigorous peer review: (a) pilot research grants for junior faculty related to brain mechanism studies related to the relationship between EWB and dementia using human or animal models; (b) proof-of-concept grants for established investigators to test aspects related to EWB in their existing studies and cohorts of brain aging; (c) seed collaboration grants for cross-species brain research related to EWB; (5) To evaluate the network by tracking its activities, resource usage, and productivity, and conducting collaborative network density analysis throughout the 4-year grant; and (6) to ensure the wide dissemination of NEW Brain Aging products. By accomplishing these aims, we will strengthen a research network focusing on the brain mechanistic understanding of EWB and relationship between EWB and ADRD.