Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
June 16, 2005, Vol. 05-89

Mental Disorders among Latinos: Biological and Psychosocial Influences on Diagnosis and Treatment Princeton, New Jersey November 7-9, 2005

A conference to bring promising young investigators together with distinguished and established researchers in the area of Latino mental health

Sponsored by NIMH, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry

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Background
Research has highlighted health disparities that exist between minority and non-minority populations in the United States. In the area of mental health, disparities have been noted in the areas of assessment and diagnosis, access to services, and quality of care, as well as training and research. In light of recent U.S. Census data, Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States and the problem of mental health disparities is, therefore, of particular concern among Latinos. However, there continues to be a relatively small number of active Latino researchers and limited research focused on the mental health of this population. Thus, the Critical Research Issues in Latino Mental Health conference seeks to foster research careers that contribute to our knowledge of Latino mental health. The conference seeks to do this by bringing promising young investigators together with distinguished and established researchers in the area of Latino mental health.

Description of Conference
The conference will host a keynote speaker, a grant-writing workshop, and will provide the opportunity for several young investigators to present relevant research papers. Young investigators are invited to submit an abstract related to the main theme of "Mental Disorders among Latinos: Biological and Psychosocial Influences on Diagnosis and Treatment." Young investigators are typically within five years of receiving their doctoral degree and/or have not had an independent grant (e.g., RO1). Student researchers are also encouraged to submit an abstract. Each young investigator selected for an oral presentation will have their travel expenses paid and will receive a $500 honorarium. Abstracts will also be considered for a poster session. Young investigators who present posters will have their travel expenses paid.

A key component of the conference is to provide mentoring to promising young investigators. Young investigators who are selected to present will be paired with prominent senior researchers. In the months leading up to the conference, young investigators will have the opportunity to work closely with their assigned mentor on their presentation. During the conference, mentors will serve as discussants and time will be allotted for questions and answers from the audience. In the past, the conference has been notable for providing a stimulating and collaborative environment, where prominent researchers provide supportive feedback and guidance.

Visit our website at: http://www2.umdnj.edu/crlmhweb/index.htm

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Submission of Abstracts
To submit an abstract, please send the information below via e-mail to interial@umdnj.edu by July 1, 2005. Abstracts must be relevant to the topic of "Mental Disorders among Latinos: Biological and Psychosocial Influences on Diagnosis and Treatment" and should be no more than 300 words. Please "copy and paste" the required information below onto the e-mail.

Name:
Degree:
Title (e.g., Student, Assistant Professor):
Institutional Affiliation:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Telephone:
E-mail Address:

Would you also like to be considered for a poster presentation? YES/NO

Kindly indicate up to three mentors (who are involved with Latino mental health research) with whom you would like to be paired. Please note that we will consider your suggestions, but cannot guarantee a specific mentor.

Title of Paper/Presentation:
Authors:

Please paste the abstract below and utilize the following headings:

(a) Background
(b) Method
(c) Results
(d) Conclusions

For further information, please contact:

Alejandro Interian, Ph.D.
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Department of Psychiatry
671 Hoes Lane, D306
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-5635
(732) 235-3959
interial@umdnj.edu

Organizing Committee:

Victoria Arango, Ph.D.
Carlos Blanco, M.D.
Glorisa Canino, Ph.D.
Michael Escamilla, M.D.
Javier Escobar, M.D.
Peter Guarnaccia, Ph.D.
Alejandro Interian, Ph.D.
Roberto Lewis-Fernandez, M.D.
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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.