@article{a29d49c319994b4589f8d0b4690f407d,
title = "Evaluation of a summer research institute in behavioral health for undergraduate students",
abstract = "Because of the need for additional researchers in the interdisciplinary field of behavioral health services research, the Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida developed and pilot tested a summer research institute for undergraduate students. Participants completed a 6-week program in which they developed a research project with a mentor and participated in a research seminar. The long-term objectives of the program were to attract promising students to the field and encourage them to pursue careers in behavioral health services research; short-term goals of the program were to strengthen participants' research skills and knowledge, provide an intensive and enjoyable learning experience, and positively impact participants' intentions to pursue graduate education in behavioral health. These goals were evaluated using a pre-post design with 6-month follow-up. Findings suggested that short-term goals were met. Suggestions for future improvements and implementation at other research settings are discussed.",
keywords = "Behavioral health services research, Training, Undergraduate education",
author = "Amber Gum and Kalah Mueller and Daryl Flink and Shaila Siraj and Catherine Batsche and Roger Boothroyd and Paul Stiles",
note = "Funding Information: The SRI required advance planning and administrative support to free faculty members_ time to devote to the SRI. The idea for the SRI was initiated as of the result of the university_s strategic plan to increase undergraduate research opportunities for highly talented students. The newly established Office of Undergraduate Research funded two pilot programs, including the SRI. These pilot programs were to serve as the basis for submission of proposals to National Science Foundation or similar funding agency. Funding Information: The 6-month follow-up survey indicated that almost all participants were able to fully (5; 62.5%) or partially (2, 25%) apply their SRI experience in at least one domain. All participants had maintained contact with their mentor, and seven (87.5%) had received assistance from their mentor in various ways (e.g., letter of recommendation, assistance with research, or conference preparation). Six (75%) had continued working on their research projects, resulting in five participants who have delivered professional presentations (paper or poster) to date (including four at professional conferences and four at the university_s undergraduate research symposium). One participant submitted a manuscript for publication (three additional participants were preparing manuscripts). One participant had received an award at an undergraduate research symposium, a travel award from the Office of Undergraduate Research, presented the paper at a national conference, and was employed as a project staff member to continue the research. Four of the 11 participants had been accepted to Master_s programs in fields related to behavioral health. All participants (eight) felt the SRI had been Bvery^ worthwhile. Funding Information: As noted throughout the Discussion section, several changes were made in the subsequent year based on these evaluation results. The program was extended to 9 weeks, and participants were required to complete an entire research project, with incremental due dates for components of the manuscript. The SRI pilot program subsequently received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which provided participants with a sufficient stipend so they did not need to seek additional employment. Also, thanks to NSF funding, an ethics component was added to the SRI in which participants completed a group ethics research project, participated in a research ethics film series, and other special activities, such as a relevant museum exhibit. On the final day of the SRI, FMHI hosted a conference in which participants presented their research in panel presentations, modeled after professional conferences.",
year = "2007",
month = apr,
doi = "10.1007/s11414-007-9059-1",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "34",
pages = "206--218",
journal = "Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research",
issn = "1094-3412",
publisher = "Springer New York",
number = "2",
}