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The training program curriculum includes an 8-week course on the Responsible Conduct of Research, a writing group attended by fellows and faculty members, and attendance at the DPRG Seminars.

The DPRG seminar series has continued on a regular basis since 1970. It has become a focus for many of the group's activities, as well as for stimulating the involvement of developmental investigators from outside our department or the University of Colorado Denver. It serves as a medium for the presentation of ongoing research, critical literature review, and for the presentation of new research methods and findings, as well as in-depth treatment of conceptual issues by members of our group and visiting scientists. 

The DPRG holds a biennial 3-day retreat during the latter part of May or early June. Participants include members of the DPRG, as well as several nationally recognized scholars and investigators in the general area of developmental psychobiology. Each retreat addresses a separate topic within the general realm of developmental psychobiology.

Additional coursework is tailored to the needs of the individual trainee, and includes classes at the University of Denver, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and other institutions.

Click here for more information about the DPRG.

The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver is offering a postdoctoral research training program to train M.D.'s and Ph.D.'s for research careers in developmental psychobiology, with special emphasis on the development of maladaptive behavior. The Department of Psychiatry has a long history of involvement in developmental research. Within the Department, there is presently a multidisciplinary group of investigators, the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group (or DPRG). All of these researchers have a productive career involvement as independent investigators of developmental research techniques, some of which are technologically unique, and utilize a comparative approach to the problem of understanding development. Subject populations have ranged from humans through nonhuman primates to neuronal and glial cell cultures. Members of this group serve as the faculty for this research training program. Because of its setting, problems with clinical relevance are continually in the forefront.

Program

A two-year training program is offered which includes a Core Curriculum with formal coursework to be completed by all trainees and individual research in one or more faculty laboratories. The Core Curriculum of the training program consists of seminar participation, coursework, and an introduction to all Training Faculty and their research. The trainees completing this program will be well-versed in the basic concepts of developmental psychobiology and in a variety of research techniques. In addition, they will have completed an independent research project in at least one laboratory.

 

Our goal is to train postdoctoral fellows to become independent researchers focused on improving the lives of infants, children, adolescents and young adults with developmental psychopathology (see link on left for the list of clinical and special populations of interest).

We offer postdoctoral translational research training utilizing the following cutting-edge methodologies:

Biomarkers Our faculty are nationally recognized in the development and use of biomarkers, including their use as early markers of risk and as predictors of response to treatment.	Genetics Our faculty are experts in the use of genetics and molecular biology to understand developmental psychobiology and psychopathology. They are also well recognized for translating this knowledge into clinical relevance.	Neuroimaging Faculty utilize neuroimaging, including structural and functional MRI and magneto-encephalography (MEG), to study developmental issues in disorders as diverse as ADHD, autism, and psychotic disorders.
Epidemiology Advances in developmental psychobiology can only have major impact if we understand the relationship of psychobiology with systems, epidemiology and outcomes.  The DPRG includes faculty who focus on practical application of psychobiological knowledge.	Phenomenology The DPRG faculty identify the study of developmental phenomenology, that is, knowing when and how illness progresses, as a critical component of developmental psychobiology and psychopathology research.	Treatment A major goal of developmental psychobiological research is the development of new interven-tions aimed at both treating and preventing psychopatholo-gical illness.  Our faculty are national leaders in the translation of psychobiological knowledge into novel interventions.