# Biomedical Research Training in Drug Abuse

> **NIH NIH T32** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $368,275

## Abstract

Project Summary
 The purpose of this application is to request a further five years of support for an Institutional National
Research Service Award (years 26-30) which we have held for 25 years to support multidisciplinary,
interdepartmental post-doctoral training focused on the neurobiology of substance abuse with a strong
emphasis on neuroimaging, molecular and familial genetics, pharmacoepidemiology, behavior, neural circuits,
and pharmacology. We request support for six postdoctoral fellows, as we have had for the past five years –
filling all slots consistently. The fellowship will usually last two years for PhDs and often three for MDs due to
their lack of research training in pursuit of their medical degrees. Fellows with a wide variety of backgrounds
will be recruited including: Psychology, Psychiatry, Genetics, Medicine, Anthropology, Sociology, Biology,
Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience.
 The primary research training experience is the apprenticeship model – conduct of supervised research
under the tutelage of one or more preceptors who are well established researchers, and experienced mentors.
The trainee's work is usually focused on a single but broad ranging research project developed jointly by the
preceptor and trainee. Mentored research takes up approximately 70%-80% of the trainee's effort. The
remainder of the training program is made up of lectures, seminars, reading courses, individual tutorials and,
when appropriate, formal didactic course work available in our graduate and medical school. Tutorials in
neurobiology and genetics are tailored for trainees with specific interests that may or may not fall into their
major area of focus. To arrange these tutorials, the program coordinator and preceptor identify areas of
specific interest and set up the tutorial for the trainees with one of our preceptors or tutors who best meets the
training objective. The main research interests of the five Departments involved in this grant (Psychiatry [as the
central, administrative department], Anesthesiology, Psychological & Brain Sciences, Neurology and Genetics)
are broad yet all have a heavy focus on neurobiology in its broadest context and/or pain and pain management
(i.e., anesthesiology). These Departments as a whole offer more than 30 hours of relevant seminars per week
dealing with the subject matter of this grant and are open to any of our interested postdoctoral fellows,
although to be sure we cannot envision any circumstances that would encourage attendance at all, or most, of
these seminars. Some careful selection must be made to ensure that trainees focus on their main research
and career objective, mentored research. None-the-less, it is reassuring to have that much ancillary training
available to amplify or to broaden the perspectives of our trainees.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9928034
- **Project number:** 5T32DA007261-29
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ARPANA AGRAWAL
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $368,275
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1991-09-30 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9928034

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9928034, Biomedical Research Training in Drug Abuse (5T32DA007261-29). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9928034. Licensed CC0.

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