Jennifer Piel, JD, MD, and Edward Goldenberg, PhD, presented their work on mentoring in research and forensic mental health at the Learning Communities Institute Annual Conference held at the University of Washington on Veteran’s Day. Piel and Goldenberg created a unique curriculum focused on research skills and ethics for a course in psychiatry and the law (PBSCI-525). Students were grouped into mentorship teams with peers and a faculty member. The model promotes research collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork to create a welcoming academic network. See a summary of their work.

Few medical schools offer training in research development and even fewer offer interdisciplinary opportunities. This course paves the way for similar research mentoring in other areas of medicine or psychiatry that can foster collaboration between disciplines in the professional research environment.