Research During Residency
The Department of Psychiatry of Weill Cornell Medical College offers a wide range of opportunities for clinical, translational and basic neuroscience research. Investigators in the department are examining core questions in psychiatry in the areas of neurobiology and developmental neurobiology, genetics, cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, neuropharmacology/psychopharmacology, neuroendocrinology, pathophysiology of disease, psychotherapy, services research, and the history of psychiatry. Residents have the opportunity to interact with postdoctoral fellows in a number of postgraduate research training programs associated with the department, and may go on to a postdoctoral research fellowship on completion of their residency training.
Research is integrated into the residency beginning in the PGY-I year, expanding each subsequent year. For residents with prior research training on a path to a career including significant research, specially tailored residency training is possible, providing substantial ongoing research development while preserving strong clinical training. For residents without substantial prior experience, residency training includes exposure to research and the completion of a scholarly project in an area of special interest.
At the annual Research Day residents are introduced to investigators in the Department and learn about ongoing research and research opportunities. Every resident attends Resident Journal Club. PGY-II residents are exposed to major concepts in research in course work focused on this topic. PGY-II coursework also includes exposure to functional neuroimaging, and other current neuroscientific modalities of research. Beginning in January, the Vice-chair for research and members of the research committee meet with every PGY-II resident to explore areas of special interest, consider areas of investigation or scholarly pursuit, and discuss options for mentorship. Each resident is paired with a mentor in his/her area of interest. All residents are encouraged to begin mentored scholarly investigation during the PGY-II year, which may include literature review, project design, IRB approval, and the learning of relevant techniques or instruments for the investigation. In the PGY-III year, residents continue to explore research in psychiatry through coursework on research as it pertains to psychopharmacology and psychotherapy, as well as coursework exploring research design. Each PGY-III resident continues to work on his/her mentored project. In the PGY-IV year, every resident has 6 months of 70% research time to complete his/her scholarly project which is then presented in a Senior Research Colloquium for residents and faculty. (see Resident Graduation Papers) Selected projects are presented at Departmental Grand Rounds and at the American Psychiatric Association District Branch Residents Research Day. All residents in the PGY-III and IV year are allowed 5 days of conference time to attend a conference of residents choice. Resident research is supported with funds from the Department of Psychiatry and paper or poster presentations at national meetings are supported with travel grants from the Department. Residents are encouraged and assisted in submitting papers for publication (see Resident Publications ) Throughout the 4 years of residency training, all residents are invited to request extra time for investigative work, from a committee including the Vice-chair for Research and the Residency Training Director. This time is created by freeing-up time from clinical duties based on the residents having demonstrated the need for and the ability to use this extra time. Such awards are made on a case-by-case basis with every effort made to help every resident see his/her project through to completion.
Research Program Leadership
Dr. David Silbersweig graduated from Dartmouth College with high honors in philosophy. He studied medicine at Cornell University Medical College. He trained in both psychiatry and neurology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and in functional brain imaging research at The Medical Research Council Cyclotron Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London. Drs. Silbersweig and Dr. Emily Stern then returned to Cornell, to found and direct the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory. Dr. Silbersweig is also the founding director of the Division of Neuropsychiatry, as well as the Neurology-Psychiatry Combined Residency Program at Cornell. Dr. Silbersweig is the Tobin-Cooper Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Neurology, and is Vice Chairman, for Research, in the Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Silbersweig is one of the pioneers of functional neuroimaging research in psychiatry. He and his colleagues focus upon the development and application of new neuroimaging techniques to localize and characterize brain circuitry dysfunction underlying major psychiatric disorders. They have developed novel methods and paradigms for both PET and MRI imaging that are widely used, and have identified neural circuitry abnormalities associated with major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, major depression, geriatric depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD and borderline personality disorder. A particular area of focus is fronto-limbic modulation across the neuropsychiatric spectrum. Studies combining neuroimaging with therapeutic and genetic studies are now underway. Dr. Silbersweig and his colleagues have published numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles in leading journals, including first reports localizing brain abnormalities associated with psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, and with tics in Tourette syndrome. Dr. Silbersweig has received many awards, and is actively involved in shaping this emerging field of biomedical research, and the rapidly advancing field of neuropsychiatry, through his scientific work and writings, his involvement in national/international research consortia, his extensive teaching/training activities, his invited presentations in the United States and abroad, and his work with scientific journals, NIH, conferences and organizations. The aim of Dr. Silbersweigs systems-level neuropathophysiology work is to help provide a foundation for the development of novel, targeted, biologically based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to aid those suffering with mental illness.
Dr. Francis Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College. He received his undergraduate degree with highest honors in psychology from Princeton University. He then went to obtain an MD and PhD from the University of Michigan, followed by Psychiatry residency training at Payne Whitney Clinic, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He obtained further postdoctoral training in molecular neuroscience at the Skirball Institute, New York University and the University of California, San Francisco.
He is currently director of a laboratory whose main area of research is in basic molecular, neural mechanisms that are relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders. In particular, his research is focused on using genetic models to delineate the role of growth factors, such as BDNF, in complex behaviors related to affective disorders. The laboratory has recently produced one of the first mouse models of a human genetic variant that has led to novel insights into the molecular and genetic basis of anxiety.
Annual Research Day : TBA