# Post-Graduate Research Training Aligned with the NIMH Strategic Plan

> **NIH NIH R25** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $196,899

## Abstract

Project Summary
There is a strong need in psychiatry to invigorate the career development of physician-scientists who can apply
advances in neuroscience to applications that improve the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric patients. The
need for physician-scientists in psychiatry may be greater than in other fields of medicine, since at present, we
still rely almost entirely on the clinical interaction between clinician and patients to obtain the information
needed to establish a diagnosis, to select the most appropriate treatment, and to evaluate the effects of that
treatment. One day we may be able to apply biomarkers derived from a knowledge of disease mechanisms to
assist in establishment of a diagnosis and to select treatment, but even these biomarkers will need to be
validated using clinical information collected by physician-scientists, and then integrated with the patient's
clinical narrative to arrive at a precise diagnosis and develop an effective treatment plan.
The proposed R25 program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (NUFSM) aims to enrich
research training for general psychiatry residents and clinical fellows during their usual period of training, so
that these individuals maintain and further consolidate their commitment to a career in research that is aligned
with the strategic plan of NIMH. We aim to support their training so that they strengthen their commitment to an
academic career pathway, where they will acquire critical skills in study design, research methodologies, data
analysis, grant writing and career development. Applicants to our post-graduate training programs in psychiatry
already demonstrate strong interests and aptitudes for academic careers. Thus, our Northwestern trainees are
excellent candidates for an enriched research experience. Also, educational assets currently in place at
Northwestern through our CTSA, Physician Scientist Training Programs, Masters of Clinical Investigation
program, and various interdepartmental graduate programs can be leveraged to increase the impact of the
proposed R25 program. If successful, this application would create the only R25 physician-scientist training
program for psychiatry residents in the central Midwest.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10348152
- **Project number:** 5R25MH115855-04
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL F. FLEMING
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $196,899
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-10 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10348152

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10348152, Post-Graduate Research Training Aligned with the NIMH Strategic Plan (5R25MH115855-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10348152. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*