The Pre-Doctoral Training Program
The purpose of the MPSI training program is to prepare pre-doctoral students across multiple disciplines to do top-quality research in interventions with urban children and families. The program is open to academically strong students who wish to pursue a degree that includes research focused on children and families. The MPSI training program is co-directed by Dr. Peter Lichtenberg, MPSI Director, and Dr. Steven J. Ondersma.
Training Program Focus:
The training program is a structured interdisciplinary training experience that utilizes an apprentice-model of learning with research skills and professional development at the core. Training faculty are encouraged to treat trainees as “junior scholars” and work to foster an atmosphere of collegiality alongside expectations of scientific excellence. While the program does not directly deliver coursework or grant degrees (trainees must satisfy coursework and degree requirements of their departments), the program provides many other benefits, including:
- Apprenticed research experience. Regular contact with a primary research mentor in the trainee’s specific area of research interest is a hallmark of our training program. We believe a ‘hands-on’ learning model is the best way to impart the level of knowledge and skill required for trainees to progress toward becoming independent researchers in their field. Trainees typically work on a topic of research alongside their primary mentors for 20 hours per week throughout the year.
- Interdisciplinary education is valued at the MPSI. The training faculty provides this by serving on the “mentoring teams” of trainees (see later sections of the Handbook). The team can assist in setting the course for the trainee’s research goals, help to monitor their academic progress, and most importantly, provide a range of new opportunities for learning and professional development that might not otherwise be identified if not for this wider set of disciplinary and professional views.
- Strong methodological training. As part of their disciplinary training, trainees are encouraged to complete a minimum of 12-15 credits of coursework in research and statistical methodologies (delivered in their degree granting departments/disciplines). Some of these courses are taught by the training program faculty. Methodological skills are learned, practiced and refined during each trainee’s apprenticed research training. Several training faculty provide individual consultation on research design and analysis to trainees as well.
- Urban health focus. In the context of their research collaboration in the Wayne State University child and family research training, students will become experts in the recruitment and retention, and engagement of urban research participants (particularly African Americans). Virtually all Wayne State University MPSI studies are based in the Detroit metropolitan area, which is a richly heterogeneous region, and is very amenable to enhancing the diversity and heterogeneity of research samples.
- Professional development in child and family research. The ultimate goal of the training program is to prepare trainees to join the ranks of the next generation of researchers in interventions with urban children and families. This requires opportunities for trainees to learn specific research skills of course, but also to learn about child and family issues more broadly. Thus, the training program provides opportunities to participate in national and local conferences, smaller-scale local educational events, and various community outreach activities focused on children and families. At the MPSI there are opportunities to do all of this, including the MPSI Colloquium Series that features national caliber speakers and local experts. Trainees are strongly encouraged to participate in these activities. The training program believes that irrespective of the trainee’s career destination, there is significant value in understanding children and families within a broader context that includes perspectives of health care professionals, social service providers, policy-makers, families, and children themselves.
What are the main benefits to trainees?
As outlined above, the Pre-doctoral Training Program provides a significant number of professional development benefits (scientific conferences, research and educational, access to a professional network of experts in multi-disciplinary fields.) The Training Program also provides office and lab space to trainees and computing support that go well beyond what is available in departments and colleges. Many of our past training program graduates also report that the peer relationships they developed in the training program were also very valuable after graduation, since peers in the program quickly become a professional network after graduation.
For more details, please contact Dr. Steven J. Ondersma at 313‐872‐1790 (sondersm@med.wayne.edu).