Purpose:
All trainees will be required to participate in a one-hour, weekly meeting with preceptors to focus on alcohol studies, training issues, and professional development for the duration of their tenure on the training grant. The primary purposes of the "weekly workshop" are to: (a) provide practice in public, scientific presentations, (b) obtain group feedback on various research plans and projects (including scientific publication and grant writing), and (c) discuss "classic" and recent papers in alcohol studies.
During each semester, students will be required to:
- Give one formal videotaped presentation (20-30 minutes in length) on a current research project that is critiqued along explicit criteria (with feedback given in a non-threatening, constructive way), that is also reviewed by the trainee. (Thus, over the course of their time on the training grant, trainees would have the opportunity to have multiple practice opportunities to develop their public speaking skills.)
- lead an hour-long discussion on an assigned paper (or set of related papers) in a "journal club" format
Meetings not devoted to formal presentations and journal club would be devoted to:
- review and critique of trainee and faculty papers and grants
- colloquia by training faculty and outside speakers
-
skill-oriented training sessions (e.g., specific statistical techniques,
assessment devices such as time-line follow-
back interviews)
- informal discussion of training and professional issues
These meetings are viewed as serving both educational and training needs as well as fostering a sense of group identity and cohesion among participating trainees and faculty.