Discover NIMH: Training the Next Generation of Researchers

Transcript

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>> JOSH GORDON: To meet the needs of the NIMH research agenda and move us closer to achieving our vision, we seek to build a diverse and highly trained workforce. To help us achieve these goals, we offer research opportunities through the NIMH Intramural Research Program and through our Extramural Research Program, which supports institutions across the country that offer research training for varied career stages.

>> NANCY DESMOND: Our goal is to develop a robust portfolio of investigators for the future so that we can continue to address important questions related to our mission. And having a diverse workforce leads to the inclusion of different perspectives in the research that is conducted and brings additional knowledge and insight to the research enterprise.

>> JOSH GORDON: There are also training opportunities right here at NIMH at Bethesda, Maryland, through the NIMH Intramural Research Program.

>> JANET CLARK: There are a lot of core facilities that you have at your fingertips to do the kind of research that you want to do, so the opportunities and resources that are placed in front of you here at NIMH are invaluable. On top of that, the resources to help you with your career and to get you to the next step are something that you can't get anywhere else. So the faculty that are here in the Intramural Program are leaders in their field. They are those individuals that the people in their field look to for the next step for the cutting-edge research for where they should be gauging their research.

>> BENJAMIN SUAREZ JIMENEZ: There's no other program like this one. The NIMH is a huge institution for research. It's a leading institution for research. And the ability to work at two leading institutions at the university level and at a research level like the NIMH, there's no other program that offers the wealth of research, of opportunities for education, for workshops, and for exploring your research like the NIMH.

>> JOSH GORDON: No matter where you train, mentorship is a vital part of the process for aspiring researchers. It can be beneficial for the mentee, the mentor, and the science.

>> DANIEL PINE: The mentor really plays a couple of crucial roles for students. One of the most important roles is providing an all-around resource for any questions that the student might have, be it about their specific research project, their career, their life in general. The most enjoyable act that I have is performing as a mentor and this relates to the fact that I very much enjoy the day-to-day activities of mentorship, but it also relates to the fact that I was lucky enough to have many wonderful, outstanding mentors who changed me.

>> BENJAMIN SUAREZ JIMENEZ: As a scientist and as a researcher these programs have built me from a professional perspective by giving me the opportunity to lead my own research independently with networks, with courses, seminars, workshops, that are geared towards learning how to manage a lab independently, to how to write grants effectively, how to even resolve conflicts within the lab as a lab manager. And they want to make sure that they're creating, or that they're developing researchers that are rigorous, that are thoughtful, and that they're caring about what they're doing and why they're doing it.

>> JOSH GORDON: This is an exciting time for mental health research with so much potential for future discovery. If you're interested in being part of that future, I encourage you to look at our website, contact our staff, and explore the many training opportunities we offer.

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