National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Fellowship
Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the NIAAA Training Program is a three-year, full-time PhD program offered by the Institute for Behavioral Health of the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy.
Program: Alcohol-Related Health Services Research
The focus of the program is the study of the impact of the organization, financing, and management of alcohol prevention and treatment services on quality, cost, access to, and outcomes of care. The primary objective of the program is the focused and rigorous preparation of doctoral students for research careers in universities, governmental agencies, or other research settings devoted to alcohol-related services research.
The NIAAA program builds on the multidisciplinary social science education and research opportunities offered at the Heller School, as well as a collaboration with Brown University's Center on Alcohol and Addiction Studies. It offers doctoral students a core curriculum stressing conceptual models and research skills, while emphasizing the social context for alcohol treatment and prevention services and the relationship of these services to behavioral health, general health care delivery, and other service systems.
Key Areas of Study
The NIAAA Fellowship Program is designed to produce researchers with expertise in state-of-the-art concepts and research methods in health services research and health policy analysis with a focus on alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The focus of the curriculum and faculty research expertise address the following key areas:
- Organization and management
- Finance and reimbursement
- Outcomes and quality of care
- Cost and utilization; and
- Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis
Curriculum Requirements
The training program is sequenced to provide a doctoral education that includes the development of broad substantive knowledge in major policy areas, advanced training in the principles of research design and statistical reasoning, and experiences in the conduct of research. Students must complete 15 semester courses. In addition, each doctoral candidate must successfully complete an integrative comprehensive paper and obtain approval of a dissertation by a four-person committee. The dissertation must be on a topic relevant to the field of alcohol-related health services research and must use quantitative methods.
Research Opportunities
Trainees are strongly encouraged to participate in an existing research project during their training periods. All NIAAA trainees have opportunities to work with experienced researchers who are engaged in a wide variety of studies addressing alcohol-related services and policy concerns. At a minimum, each fellow is expected to be involved in an existing research project for approximately 8 hours per week for one full semester. This may take place at Brandeis or at an outside research setting. This experience will prepare students to undertake an independent research project, as required for the dissertation.
Stipends and Awards
Each fellowship includes full tuition support and an annual stipend ($21,600), and Brandeis University health insurance coverage.
Information and Application Procedures
Individuals interested in the NIAAA Fellowship Program should apply directly to the Heller School at Brandeis University and must comply with the specific application and admission requirements of the Heller School. Applicants for the NIAAA Fellowship must be U.S. citizens. For further information about the NIAAA program, please contact one of the following:
- Constance Horgan, ScD, Director, NIAAA Fellowship Program
781-736-3916 - Sharon Reif, PhD '02 , Associate Director
781-736-3924 - Deborah Garnick, ScD, Research Director
781-736-3840 - Terri White, MBA '05, Grant Manager
781-736-4830
Applicants must be accepted for the PhD program at the Heller School/Brandeis University before they can be considered for an NIAAA fellowship. There is no separate application process for the training grant. However, the Statement of Purpose from the admissions application may be used in the selection process and candidates are encouraged to discuss their interest in the training grant in their statement. Inquiries regarding the PhD program should be directed to the Admissions Office at 781-736-3820 or HellerAdmissions@brandeis.edu.
The deadline for submitting applications is January 1.
| Substance Abuse Faculty and Senior Research Staff | ||||
| Sarita Bhalotra, MD, PhD '99 | Margaret Lee, PhD | |||
| Jon Chilingerian, PhD | Elizabeth Merrick, PhD '98 | |||
| Marilyn Daley, PhD | Sharon Reif, PhD '02 | |||
| Deborah Garnick, ScD | Grant Ritter, PhD | |||
| Jody Hoffer Gittell, PhD | Leonard Saxe, PhD | |||
| Dominic Hodgkin, PhD | Donald Shepard, PhD | |||
| Constance Horgan, ScD | Cindy Thomas, Ph.D. '00 | |||
|
Christopher Tompkins, MMHS '82, PhD '91 | |||
|
Stanley S. Wallack, PhD | |||
