Research
A research elective is available to promote excellence in psychiatric care and education through the application of principles and knowledge founded on clinic research. Residents work closely with nurse clinicians, psychologist, and research assistants under the supervision of an attending with expertise in a given diagnostic area. Current specialty areas include:
ADHD Health Services Research
This epidemiologically based health services research program focuses on access and quality of care issues related to ADHD. ADHD is a particularly important disorder from a health service standpoint because it is common, has demonstrated adverse developmental effects, is potentially treatable, and because treatment guidelines have been established. Therefore it has direct health policy implications whether affected children actually get the benefits of treatment, and whether such treatments adhere to recommended quality parameters.
We are particularly interested in gender and race/ethnicity differences in ADHD treatment, because of studies have shown that affected girls and black children have lower treatment rates than boys and Caucasian children, respectively. Our current NIMH-funded study found that even though parents of girls or of African American children with ADHD identified that their child had a problem, they were much less likely than parents of boys or of Caucasian children to seek professional evaluations or treatment. Thus the bottleneck was not a problem with detection, but with the subsequent help-seeking steps taken by parents. We are conducting innovative qualitative research on parental explanatory models to further illuminate what may prompt the lower treatment rates, and how to improve access to care for these underserved groups. Another focus of our work is the analysis of services that children with ADHD receive in three domains, medical, school and self-care. We are analyzing the care received by a representative sample of children with ADHD, based on parent reports of treatments, physician information, and school data.
Residents will get a general exposure to services research principles and are encouraged to participate in our ongoing research, scientific presentations and publications. They may also develop their own research project with existing data, as we have ample data available that are suitable for analysis. We have also developed an innovative intervention for preschoolers with ADHD and are in the process of procuring federal funding to conduct an expert-panel based appropriateness study. This project would also be open to resident participation. The health services research lab is located on the ground floor of the Human Development building.
Child and Adolescent Clinical Trials
The Child Clinical Trials Program is part of the UF Clinical Trails Division, staffed by faculty members of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and is located in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry wing. It is designed to provide a child and family friendly atmosphere, offering state-of-the art-equipment, experienced clinical research staff, and a highly efficient infrastructure dedicated to the conduct of clinical trials. We have participated in multi-site studies assessing treatments for ADHD, OCD, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, Tourette’s and tic disorders. Residents can gather experience with semi-structured interviews, various psychological assessment measures, and become familiar with a variety of issues germane to the conduct of clinical trials.
Neuroimmunology of Childhood Psychiatric Disorders
The long-term goal of this project is to elucidate the pathogenesis and advance the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) by identifying clinically and biologically meaningful subtypes of these conditions. The specific aim of this project is to investigate whether some forms of pediatric OCD/TS are associated with evidence of streptococcal infection or immune dysfunction. Subjects are between the ages of 4 and 14 years and are seen on one of two protocols (i.e., a baseline evaluation and then returns every six weeks or a baseline evaluation and return visits during symptom exacerbation periods). The research team consists of the principal investigator (Dr. Murphy), resident physicians, a research R.N., rotating medical students, and trained paraprofessional staff members. Members of the research team receive experience with semi-structured interviews, neuropsychological measures, and various instruments such as those measuring stress, neurological stability, and immunological dysfunction.
