Indo-US initiatives to mentor mental health professionals to conduct ethical behavioral research

Issues: Behavioral disorders across the lifespan receive little attention, though they contribute to the disease burden in developing and low and middle income countries. There is immense need for training in these regions to enhance research capacity. Description: We have developed an Indo-US training program with the support of the Fogarty International Center collaborating with institutions in Bangalore, India. Our multidisciplinary program includes the expertise needed to understand the complex etiology of mental and behavioral disorders. Training follows an individualized apprenticeship-mentoring model with paired mentors from India and the US. Trainees are offered didactic and individual tutorials and after the fellowship, returning trainees continue their association with mentors in the US and India. Annual workshops conducted in India with trainees and mentors include training in the responsible conduct of research, “elevator talk” preparation, paper reviews, and specific aims development. Lessons Learned: The Indo-US team has made considerable progress building research capacity in India. As of 2012, the training cohort includes 16 trainees devoting from 4 to 36 months of training. Outcomes include: 10 skill building workshops with 1047 participants, 100 speakers from India and the US, 250+ publications in top tier journals; 36 academic awards; and 26 research grants from NIH as well as the Government of India. Recommendations: Our mentoring model proved to be successful in bridging the training gap in India. Based on this experience, our future steps include efforts to build research capacity in the NorthEast Region (Assam and Sikkim) where the need for mentoring is great.