Eighth Annual Summer Institute on Randomized Clinical Trials Involving Behavioral Interventions
July 13 - 25, 2008
Airlie Conference Center, Virginia
Organized by
NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (http://obssr.od.nih.gov/)
Application Due Date: January 31, 2008
General Information and Applications Available at
OBJECTIVE: to provide a thorough grounding in the conduct of randomized clinical trials to researchers and health professionals interested in developing competence in the planning, design, and execution of clinical trials involving behavioral or social interventions.
The CURRICULUM will:
· Describe the principles underlying the conduct of unbiased clinical trials.
· Contrast biomedical vs. behavioral interventions in the context of RCTs.
· Evaluate and interpret critically the literature on RCTs for behavioral interventions.
· Contrast and evaluate alternative research designs in terms of their appropriateness.
· Contrast and evaluate methods for monitoring, coordinating, and conducting RCTs.
· Select appropriate outcome measures, enrollment strategies, and randomization techniques
· Design a specific research proposal in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team. .
FACULTY: Faculty will consist of leading authorities in their fields, with extensive prior experience in the conduct of major clinical trials, with specializations in psychology, behavioral medicine, psychosomatic medicine, gerontology, oncology, cardiovascular diseases, statistics, clinical trials, and other areas. Over twenty Faculty members will be onsite over the course of the Institute.
STUDENTS: Priority will be given to individuals who already have their PhD or MD (equivalent degrees accepted) and two years of subsequent research experience. Applicants should not yet have achieved a tenured position at their institution. Beyond these eligibility criteria we are seeking researchers who have demonstrated research experience and who will benefit from this summer institute on randomized controlled clinical trials.
Further, the applications of those who have extensive research experience will only be considered after more junior investigators have been evaluated. Preference will be given to individuals who are not employees of NIH. While we will consider and may even accept applicants who do not meet these criteria, those who do will have higher priority.
Due to the limited number of spaces in the course, applicants must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United states for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551, or other legal verification of such status). Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
If you require reasonable accommodations due to a disability to participate in this activity, please include this information with your application at least 60 business days before the course begins. A request for disability-related reasonable accommodation will not influence the selection process!
COSTS: The Office of Behavioral Sciences Research, NIH, will pay for travel to and from the Summer Institute site, room and board, and course materials. There are no additional fees. Family members may accompany participants at their own expense. However, please note that the Airlie Conference Center is not set up as a vacation property. If accepted as a Fellow, please contact Ms. Monica Duda at 301-57700244 ext. 56 or mduda@blseamon.com to discuss this option before committing to the Institute.
LOCATION: The course will be held at the beautiful Airlie Conference Center in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northern Virginia, "...providing a serene atmosphere for work and thought in a community of scholars..." Airlie is approximately 60 minutes driving time from Washington, DC and surrounding airports: http://www.airlie.com/
APPLICATIONS Due January 31, 2008: Applications must be submitted electronically. The application instructions and forms are posted at http://www.blsweb.net/app2attend/
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
http://obssr.od.nih.gov/Content/Training_and_Career_Development/Annual_RCT_Course/RCT03_QA.htm
LISTSERV for Course Information:
For periodic updates, join the electronic mailing list for forthcoming announcements and instructions by sending an e-mail message to listserv@list.nih.gov .
The body of the message should read SUBscribe RCT-L [your full name]. The message is case sensitive; so capitalize as indicated! Don't include the brackets.
The subject line should be blank
CONTACTS
Do you have questions about the course? Please address them to:
Ronald P. Abeles, Ph.D.
Special Assistant to the Director
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
National Institutes of Health
Bldg. 31C, Rm. B1C19, MSC 2027
Bethesda, MD 20892-2027
Telephone: 301.496.7859
Email: abeles@nih.gov
