Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2007
Mentors: Anna Brandon, Ph.D. and Geetha Shivakumar, M.D.
Department: Women's Mental Health Center, Psychiatry
Room number: FL 8.827
Mail Code: 9086
Phone number: 214 648 4607 (main), 214 648 5238 (Dr. Shivakumar) and 214 648
0103 (Dr. Brandon)
E-mail: Anna.Brandon@utsouthwestern.edu; Geetha.Shivakumar@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Partner-Assisted Psychotherapy (PAT) for Antepartum Depression,
PI Anna Brandon, Co-PI Geetha Shivakumar.
Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):122007-011
Approval date 1/31/2008
Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A
Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Patient-based research
Brief Description of Project:
Depression during pregnancy is a public health problem critical because of the consequences for both mother and fetus/newborn, as well as the need for empirically supported non-pharmacological treatments. This is a pilot study to develop and show feasibility of a specialized psychotherapy, Partner-Assisted Psychotherapy Intervention (PAT) for antepartum depression. The projected sample size is 30 and the primary site for the study implementation is the Women's Mental Health Center.
The study has been approved by the IRB and is actively recruiting. Pregnant women with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder are eligible and, after establishing suitability according to study inclusion/exclusion criteria, are invited to participate. Following completion of the consent process and IRB-approved consent documentation, women and their partners receive an 8-week psychotherapy intervention followed by one postpartum refresher session. Symptoms are monitored weekly by IRB-approved psychiatric assessments.
Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
Dr. Brandon supervises psychology graduate students from the Division of Psychology,
Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Brandon served as Clinical Scholar advisor to Shana Elman MS4-Doris Duke
Medical Student during Ms. Elman's research project from July 2006 to June 2007.
Dr. Shivakumar worked closely with Alison Jordon, MS4- Doris Duke Medical Student
during MS4's research project from July 2006 to June 2007. This work has been
submitted for publication and currently under review.
Dr. Shivakumar supervised MS4 special psychiatry elective and supervised Pablo
Gonzalez, MS4 from mid November 2008 to mid December 2008.
Role and Responsibilities of MS1:
The medical student is expected to complete the required IRB research training prior to starting on the proposed research project. The medical student will work closely with Drs. Brandon and Shivakumar in daily research operations including recruitment, participant screening, scheduling appointments, and scoring assessments. Also, the medical student will assist study research coordinators (Grace Fischer and Dorothy Kelly) in the preparation of IRB documentation, study data collection, and data management. During this time, the medical student will receive directed readings on the conduct of ethical clinical research as well as exposure to the challenges unique to psychotherapy research. Further training on the use of psychiatric/psychological measures is available and will be provided according to medical student interest. After study completion, the medical student may receive authorship during manuscript submission, depending on the extent of medical student involvement, and in accordance to Internal Committee of Medical Journal Editors (www.icmje.org) guidelines.