RESEARCH MISSION AND ACTIVITIES

The Department of Psychiatry and Psychology is committed to the following research mission:

1. To pursue outstanding biomedical and behavioral research that enhances the care of the patient, and decreases the burden of human neuropsychiatric diseases and medical illness leads to the development of new diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive measures.
   
2. To develop and foster an outstanding academic faculty dedicated to the integration of research, education, and practice.

Notable research events over the past year, which illustrate our Department’s accomplishments with respect to NIH funding and our dedication to innovative research that informs patient care, include the following:

• In 2005, the Department was awarded a total of $3,444,495 in NIH funds with three active NIH grants.
• In 2005, department members had 178 active patient-oriented research protocols.
• Dr. Weinshilboum received a $12 million grant from the NIGMS-Pharmacogenomic Research Network and is studying the pharmacogenomics of a breast cancer drug (anastrazole) and an antidepressant (escitalopram). Dr. Mrazek is the principal investigator of the antidepressant arm of this study. Co-investigators include Drs. Black, Unal, Williams, Hall-Flavin, McAlpine, Netzel, and Karpyak
• Dr. Unal just received a K12: National Institute of Mental Health-Career Development Award: Unal S., Primary Investigator. “1H-MRS and Clinical correlates of Omega-3 Fatty Acid treatment in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder." The start date was July 1, 2006.

In 2005, through institutional funding, our Research Committee awarded five small grants ranging from $1,660 to $9,775. The goal of the Small Grants Program is to encourage investigators to obtain preliminary data for an NIH application, to fund innovative approaches to our clinical practice, and to enhance the career development of our faculty and trainees in research. Grants were awared to:

• Dr. Victor Karpyak “Evaluation of Genetic Differences in Alcoholics with Severe Withdrawal: A Pilot Study”
• Shirlene Sampson “Use of rTMS to Treat Chronic Neuropathic Pain” A Pilot Study
• Drs. Barbara Bruce and Cynthia Townsend (Post-doctoral psychology fellow who is now a Consultant) “Pain Rehabilitation with Opioid Withdrawal: Longitudinal Study of Treatment Outcomes for Chronic Noncancer Pain”
• Dr. Richard Seime “Characterizing Outcomes in the Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program for Adult Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Retrospective Chart Review and Analysis”
• Dr. Norman Rasmussen “The MMPI-2: A Contemporary Normative Study of Adult Medical Outpatients”
• Dr. Glenn Smith and Melanie Chandler (post-doctoral medical psychology fellow) received a clinical practice innovation grant from the Mayo Foundation to develop a memory support system for patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.
• Grants awarded to Dr. Patten from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Cancer Institute in 2005 focused on cancer prevention in Native American communities, and training in cancer research for Native American undergraduate students.
• Roche Diagnostics awarded a grant to Drs. Mrazek, Black and O’Kane to develop an algorithm for the reporting of Cytochrome P450 results for the Amplichip to patients and physicians.