Meeting Summaries from 2008

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Women Returning from Combat

December 08, 2008
Washington, DC
The meeting brought together experts in the field to review sex and gender differences in PTSD, identified gaps in research, and generated ideas for new research approaches and initiatives.

Mental Illness, Incarceration, and Community Re-entry: Telepsychiatry and Continuity of Mental Health Care

October 29, 2008 – October 30, 2008
Austin, Texas
Participants discussed whether current knowledge and practices related to the continuity of mental health care in general and telepsychiatry specifically are effective, and how effective methods can be generalized to other domains of mental health care.

Neuroimmunology, Brain Development, and Mental Disorders

October 02, 2008 – October 03, 2008
Washington, DC
The purpose of this workshop was to discuss the role of neuroimmunologic factors in brain development and mental disorders.

Trauma Spectrum Disorders: The Role of Gender, Race, and Other Socioeconomic Factors

October 01, 2008 – October 02, 2008
Bethesda, Maryland
The meeting was convened to review existing science on trauma spectrum disorders related to military deployment, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

The 14th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health

September 25, 2008 – September 26, 2008
Bethesda, Maryland
In September 2008, the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research sponsored the 14th NIMH Biennial Research Conference on the Economics of Mental Health. This year the program committee invited investigators to present original policy-relevant research that can contribute toward building a high performance mental health system.

Navigating Your Way through a Successful Research Career

September 11, 2008 – September 12, 2008
Rockville, Maryland
NIMH sponsored a workshop to provide junior investigators with the tools necessary to continue along the path of competitive research support and transition to independence.

Workshop: "Neurobiological Basis of Circadian Rhythms Interaction with Complex Behavior"

July 22, 2008 – July 23, 2008
Bethesda, Maryland
The overall goal of this workshop was to encourage and further extend research on the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the association between circadian rhythms with higher brain functions and behaviors of importance to the NIMH research mission. The circadian clock controls a vast number of physiological variables, and disruptions of circadian rhythms have been implicated in psychiatric disorders. The rich progress in understanding both molecular circadian mechanism and behavioral circadian phenomenon, indicate that the field is now poised for a deeper and more mechanistic understanding of how circadian oscillators interact with brain circuits and neurotransmitter systems to influence diverse processes including emotion, cognition and social interactions.

Research Roundtable: Heterogeneity in Child and Adolescent Depression

February 18, 2008 – February 19, 2008
Washington, DC
The purpose of this workshop was to discuss empirical evidence for sources of heterogeneity in child and adolescent depression, evaluate the significance of known heterogeneity, and identify promising research directions in this area.

Child and Adolescent Effectiveness Research in Clinical Practice and Community Settings: Needs, Challenges, and Opportunities

January 24, 2008 – January 25, 2008
Washington, D.C.
This workshop provided a forum for reviewing accomplishments and challenges in conducting effectiveness research in practice and other community settings and served as an opportunity for informally discussing promising approaches to further research. The focus of the meeting was on testing the effectiveness of treatment interventions for children and adolescents when delivered in clinical practice and other community settings, such as schools.

Design and Evaluation of Clinical Trials for PTSD: A VA, NIMH, DOD Working Group

January 22, 2008 – January 23, 2008
Rockville, Maryland
NIMH joined the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development, and the Department of Defense, Health Affairs, in organizing a two day working group to review, in the context of the recent IOM report, generally agreed upon standards for clinical trials in biomedical and behavioral research; discuss some of the clinical and research challenges associated with clinical trials for PTSD; and develop expert advice for surmounting these challenges in future intervention trials for PTSD.