Announcement
March 29, 2012

CUSSW Announces 2012 NIH Summer Institute on Social and Behavioral Intervention Research

The NIH Summer Institute will be held from July 9-13, 2012 at the Columbia University School of Social Work.  The Summer Institute will address essential conceptual, methodological, and practical issues involved in planning and carrying out research on the impact of behavioral and social interventions on health outcomes, health behavior, and treatment.  Such interventions are relevant to NIH public health goals of preventing morbidity and mortality and promoting health and well-being for persons with medical and behavioral disorders and conditions.

The Institute is intended for junior investigators who have completed their doctorate and who plan to develop NIH grant applications for research in this area. Faculty (mentors) will include established investigators from relevant fields.  To apply, click here or visit the NIH Summer Institute website for more information.  The application deadline is 11:59 PM Eastern, Friday, April 27, 2012.

Major topics will include:

• Overview of conceptualizing, designing, and testing behavioral/social interventions
• Use of empirical evidence, theory and clinical practice in formulating study aims and hypotheses
• Designing, testing and adapting behavioral and social interventions for diverse populations 
• Finding the appropriate mechanism (i.e., R03, R21, R34, or R01) to support the research
• Measurement–selecting measures, assessing validity and reliability; measurement models and conceptual models
• Planning the data analysis – statistical power, mixed effects linear model, latent mixture model, moderator/mediator models, and related issues
• Critical issues in implementing the study:   eligibility, recruitment, enrollment, intervention fidelity, intervention and assessment adherence, and the organizational structure
• Participants will be requested to prepare draft outlines of different sections of the proposal (i.e., aims, significance, innovation, approach and analysis) for a NIH grant application during the training.  These drafts will be critiqued in small group sessions followed by a debriefing with the entire group.  The small groups will be guided by a faculty mentor. The debriefing sessions will entail presenting a summary report of the small group meetings and a list of questions, issues and concerns that emerge from the small groups.

For questions about the course content, contact Dr. Allen Zweben, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research and Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work.

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About CUSSW (www.socialwork.columbia.edu)
For 112 years, the Columbia University School of Social Work has been a leader in the education of professionals for careers in practice, policy, and administration. Located in New York City, the School offers a master’s and a doctoral program which are nationally and internationally recognized for their excellence. With a signature curriculum that features multidisciplinary courses taught by leading scholars and practitioners and rich field education, CUSSW continues to be at the forefront of clinical and community practice, social policy, and social enterprise administration education, research and innovation in the 21st Century.