Learn Research Methods

Learn Research Methods

Gain a comprehensive understanding of research designs, topic selection, sample size calculation, data collection, statistical tests, etc.

Course Components
Master Publication Skills

Master Publication Skills

Get insider tips on creating posters and slides, writing manuscript sections, selecting the right journal, and navigating the peer-review process.

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    Welcome to BCPR

    Brief Course in Psychiatric Research (BCPR) is the flagship program of the Research Capacity Building Committee of the Indian Psychiatric Society South Zonal Branch. Over a duration of about four months, with online and offline components, the Course comprehensively covers the theoretical and practical aspects of planning, conducting, and publishing mental health research. The faculty includes experts from not only Psychiatry but also related relevant fields such as statistics and library science.

    Enrollment is now open for our fifth batch. The Course is open to psychiatrists and psychiatry trainees in India. Sixty applicants who meet this criterion will be selected for the Course on a first-come basis. The Course fee is ₹10,000. The last date for application is 20th December 2024 (or till the seats get filled.), and the course fee should be paid within 48 hours of receiving the acceptance email. The Zoom sessions will start in the first or second week of January 2025.

    More about Us

    Contact Sessions

    The first contact session will be from 6th to 9th March 2025 at and in association with St. John's Medical College, Bengaluru. The second will be from 12th to 15th June 2025 at and in association with SRM Medical College, Chennai.

    Both sessions will include lots of group activities.

    Online Component

    This includes more than 20 weekly Zoom sessions and 5-6 online journal clubs. We also conduct more than 50 asynchronous online activities based on the completed sessions; those who pass can immediately download their certificates. Video of a previous Zoom session and links to some previous online activities are provided in the Schedule section.

    Other Aspects

    Under supervision, the participants can conduct a multicentric study and a systematic review and meta-analysis. In groups, they will prepare protocols on assigned designs, the best of which will get Dr. MV Ashok Memorial Award. The best participant gets Dr. Vinoth Memorial Award. Both the awards include certificates, medals, and cash prize.

    The best course in India on Psychiatric research got even better!

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    Expert Faculty

    Meet our team of trainers
    Dr. Denis Xavier

    Dr. Denis Xavier

    Professor of Pharmacology, St. John's Medical College, Bengaluru.
    He helped set up the Clinical Research Unit at St. John’s in 1999 and a large collaboration of Investigators in over 210 centres in India and two other Asian countries. From over 50 studies, his team have till now recruited over 120,000 participants. I led the NHLBI (NIH) Center of Excellence Program (completed support-4) with a team of about 185 investigators and research staff across India and completed three knowledge translation studies; an RCT in secondary prevention (SPREAD, role PI), a rural cluster randomized trial in primary prevention (Role-Co Inv) and a 65 centre stroke study on 11,001 patients, (Role PI). He has co-authored several clinical trials focusing on low- and middle-income countries. He is the Principal Investigator of PROGRESS, funded by the UK-MRC and Wellcome Trust to evaluate innovative strategies to reduce risk of heart disease and strokes at work places in 3 South Asian countries. His team organizes seven courses and workshops; in the last eight years, they have trained over 2000 faculty and graduate students from all regions of India and nine countries in Asia and Africa.
    Dr. Chittaranjan Andrade

    Dr. Chittaranjan Andrade

    Professor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
    He is one of the most prominent psychiatric researchers in India, with over 12,000 citations and an h-index of 49. He was featured in a Stanford University study that listed researchers who are in the top 2% among world scientists in psychiatry. He is a columnist since 2012 in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
    Dr. Sandeep Grover

    Dr. Sandeep Grover

    Professor of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh.
    He has 950 publications in peer-reviewed journals, has written 96 book chapters, and has edited six books. He has an H-index of 73, an i10 index of 468 and a total of 23748 citations. He has won 72 awards so far, including those from the Indian Council of Medical Research, the World Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Affective Disorders, the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations, RIM-PACIFIC, the Indian Psychiatric Society, the Indian Association for Geriatric Mental Health, Indian Association for Social Psychiatry, IACAM, and Indian Psychiatric Society-North Zone. He was awarded thrice by the Indian Council of Medical Research and is listed in the top 2% of researchers by Stanford University based on his lifetime research output.
    Dr. Brijesh Sathian

    Dr. Brijesh Sathian

    Senior Research Scientist, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar
    He is a distinguished Senior Research Scientist and public health consultant with over 17 years of experience in interdisciplinary clinical research and teaching. He has published numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses in many high-impact journals. Based at the Geriatrics and Long-term Care Department at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar, he also serves as the Deputy Director of the Ageing Research Institute and an executive team member at the WHO Collaborating Center for Healthy Ageing and Dementia.
    Dr. M. Suresh Kumar

    Dr. M. Suresh Kumar

    Director & Consultant Psychiatrist, Psymed Hospital, Chennai
    He is involved in research and served as an investigator for several research projects in substance use and mental health for over thirty-five years. He teaches research methodology to postgraduate students of medicine, dentistry and public health. He serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Drug Policy. He is a reviewer for many international journals, including the American Journal of Public Health, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, International Journal of Drug Policy, Drug and Alcohol Review, Alcohol, AIDS Care, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Journal of Substance Use and Harm Reduction Journal. He has published in many national and international peer-reviewed journals, authored chapters in books, and written monographs and toolkits.
    Dr. Sujit Sarkhel

    Dr. Sujit Sarkhel

    Editor, Indian Journal of Psychiatry
    He is currently attached to the Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata. He has been the editor of the Bengal Journal of Psychiatry and the Eastern Journal of Psychiatry. He is a member of the editorial board of the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, Annals of Indian Psychiatry, and the Open Journal of Psychiatry and Allied Sciences. He is also an Assistant Editor of the Indian Journal of Private Psychiatry.
    Dr. Johnson Pradeep

    Dr. Johnson Pradeep

    HOD Psychiatry, St. John's Medical College, Bengaluru.
    He participates in initiatives with ICMR, WHO, and NIH research (MITHRA and HARMONY studies). He serves as the Assistant Editor of the Journal of Addictive Diseases for the years 2024 and 2025. He serves as a mentor for the Psychiatric Research Infrastructure for Intervention and Implementation in India (PRIIIA) initiative. He has about 22 international articles, 31 national publications, and 8 book chapters. He has received accolades for his community psychiatry research, including the “Best Research Paper in Community Psychiatry Competition” 2nd Prize at the national level from the Community Psychiatry Specialty Section of IPS in 2021, the “Biju Mercy Siju Memorial Prize for Social Consciousness” for his work on the Tobacco Cessation Advocacy Program in Anekal Village on April 16, 2024, and most recently, the esteemed DS Rajeswari Chandrashekar and Samadhan Centre Award for the year 2024- 2025 by the Indian Psychiatric Society – Karnataka Chapter.
    Dr. Medha Joshi

    Dr. Medha Joshi

    Consultant – Information Services, National Cancer Grid, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.
    She has almost 40 years of experience as a Librarian & Information specialist in biomedical sciences, especially clinical information services. She established a remotely accessible digital healthcare library and innovative organisation of in-house generated, non-published material in all formats like surgery videos, pathology teaching files, presentations, audio files, etc. She has organised several tutorials, seminars, and conferences in Library Information Science and Bioethics and Pre-PhD Course Works on Research Ethics. She won the Best International Surveyor award in 2019 from SIDCER/ FERCAP, a WHO TDR initiative; Smt. Khandwala Award for best LIS research in PhD, SNDT university; and Prof DN Marhsal Award, 1st Division, in University of Mumbai (1973).
    Dr. Samir Kumar Praharaj

    Dr. Samir Kumar Praharaj

    Professor of Psychiatry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.
    He is a FAIMER fellow (2017), DBT India Alliance Fellow (2020), and has more than 300 publications in peer reviewed journals, 25 book chapters, with a h-index of 31. He has been the Chief Associate Editor of IJPM from 2018-2023 and is currently Associate Editor of IJP. He has won several awards, including the Best Resident Award, CIP Ranchi (2007), Samuel Gershon Young Investigator Award, ISBD (2008), Travel Awards for Early Career Psychiatrists, Prof. Raghuram Distinguished Young Teacher Award, IPSKC (2016), and Outstanding Faculty Award, Careers360 (2023).
    Dr. Jagadisha Thirthalli

    Dr. Jagadisha Thirthalli

    Professor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
    He has more than 330 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 25 chapters. He has been a principal or co-principal investigator in over 30 research projects. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Sir CV Raman Young Scientist State Award of the Government of Karnataka, the Marfatia Award of the Indian Psychiatric Society, the Vimla Virmani Award of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) and Prof. Raguram Young Distinguished Teacher Award of the Indian Psychiatric Society – Karnataka Chapter.
    Dr. Vikas Menon

    Dr. Vikas Menon

    Professor of Psychiatry, JIPMER, Puducherry.
    He has authored more than 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals, with more than 7,000 citations and an h-index of 35. He is a recipient of several research excellence awards, notably the 2023 De Leo Fund Award of the International Association of Suicide Prevention, in recognition of his outstanding research work on suicidal behaviours in developing countries. He serves on the editorial boards of multiple journals.
    Dr. Sunita Simon Kurpad

    Dr. Sunita Simon Kurpad

    Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry and Head, Dept. of Medical Ethics, St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru.
    She is involved in clinical work, teaching, and research. She has published in national and international scientific journals. Her area of interest is boundaries in the doctor-patient relationship. She authored the chapter ‘Research Ethics in Participants with Mental Illness’ in the ICMR /NCDIR book on ‘Biomedical Ethics Perspectives in the Indian Context’.
    Dr. Suresh Bada Math

    Dr. Suresh Bada Math

    Professor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru
    With qualifications in MBBS, MD, DNB in Psychiatry, and diplomas in Ethics, Law, and Human Rights, along with a Ph.D. in Law, he has expertise spanning psychiatry, medicine, and legal frameworks. Dr. Math has contributed extensively to community psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, telemedicine, mental health policy, medico-legal issues, and medical education. He has authored 414 scientific articles (i10 index: 184, h-index: 48, citations: 1861) and edited 15 books. He chairs the National Task Force on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students under the National Medical Commission and serves on expert committees for mental health, medical education, and correctional facilities. Dr. Math played a key role in drafting the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 rules, National Medical Commission Act 2019 regulations, and guidelines for the TeleMANAS program. A TEDx speaker and mental health advocate, he actively educates students and the public through his content.
    Dr. Immanuel Thomas

    Dr. Immanuel Thomas

    Former Professor & Head, Department of Psychology, University of Kerala
    He has more than 33 years of experience in teaching and research in Psychology. He has produced 21 PhD theses and published 38 articles in research journals. His areas of special interest include Psychometry, Research Methodology, and Quantitative Methods. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Department of Clinical Psychology, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal.
    Dr. Siddharth Sarkar

    Dr. Siddharth Sarkar

    Additional Professor at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, AIIMS, New Delhi.
    He has served on the editorial boards of several journals in the field of psychiatry and is the deputy editor of the Indian Journal of Psychiatry. He has managed several funded projects. He has served as co-chairperson of the Awards Committee of IPS-North Zone.
    Dr. Dhivya Karmegam

    Dr. Dhivya Karmegam

    Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur.
    She has a Ph.D in Environmental Engineering and Biostatistics (interdisciplinary). She was awarded the gold medal for the paper entitled “Psychological surveillance in Chennai City as seen in social media in disaster scenarios - A spatiotemporal approach” on the Research Day held on 28th February 2020 at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, the Th.E.Sivaraman Nair Endowment for Academic Excellence in M.E Environmental Engineering for the year 2006-2007, the Dr.K.R. Ranganathan Gold Medal for academic excellence in the course Industrial Waste Water Management of M.E Environmental Engineering for the year 2006-2007, and First rank in the college in B.E Civil Engineering University Examinations held during the year 2002-2003.
    Dr. Abhishek Ghosh

    Dr. Abhishek Ghosh

    Associate Professor in Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh
    He has over 1500 citations, over 200 publications, and an h-index of 23. He is involved in training, research, and leadership, co-leading a national health project, and contributing to UNODC and WHO initiatives. He aims to enhance access to evidence-based, culturally sensitive treatment for substance misuse.
    Dr. Naresh Nebhinani

    Dr. Naresh Nebhinani

    Professor & Head, Dept. of Psychiatry, AIIMS, Jodhpur.
    He has been the Editor of the Journal of Indian Association for Child & Adolescent Mental Health (JIACAM) (2018-2021) and currently is the Associate Editor of the Annals of Psychiatric Research (2023 onwards). He has 230 publications, including 21 chapters in books and 5 full books. His work has garnered 3,113 citations and he has an h-index of 27 and an i10-index of 74. He has received a total of 29 awards and fellowships, including the Dr Sarada Menon DNB Gold Medal, the Dr A. K. Kala Award, the Dr Buckshey Award, the Dr G. C. Boral Award, the Dr Solanki Award, and the Marfatia and PPA-1 awards. He has also been recognized with fellowships from the World Psychiatric Association and the Asian Early Career Psychiatrists Program.
    Dr. Mariyamma Philip

    Dr. Mariyamma Philip

    Additional Professor, Department of Biostatistics, NIMHANS, Bangalore.
    Dr. Mariyamma did her M.Sc (Biostatistics) from Christian Medical College, Vellore, and her Ph.D. (Biostatistics) from NIMHANS, Bangalore. Her areas of interest are regression modelling, artificial neural networks, incomplete data analysis, and rating scale construction. She has about 150 co-authored publications, including six as the main author.
    Dr. Shahul Ameen

    Dr. Shahul Ameen

    Past Editor, Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
    He was the Editor of the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine from 2017 to 2023 and made it the first mental health journal from India to reach a Scopus Q2 category. He is a co-editor of the book “A Primer of Research, Publication and Presentation” published by IPS, now in its second edition. He was Editor of the Kerala Journal of Psychiatry from 2014 till 2018. He was a guest editor of the IJP supplement on MHCA 2017. Currently, he is an associate editor for the Indian Journal of Psychiatry. He has 65 publications, 895 citations, and an h-index of 12. He was awarded the Certificate of Excellence for Best Case Presentation at the Annual National Conference of IAPP in 2013.
    Dr. Raj Kiran Donthu

    Dr. Raj Kiran Donthu

    Associate Professor in Psychiatry, NRI Academy of Sciences, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh.
    He has published around 15 peer-reviewed articles. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Archives of Mental Health and Assistant Editor for the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. He has proficiency in working with R language for data analysis.
    Dr. Sai Krishna Tikka

    Dr. Sai Krishna Tikka

    Additional Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS Bibinagar, Hyderabad
    He is an alumnus of the Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences, Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. Primarily interested in neuroscientific research, he has over 150 publications, including over 30 book chapters and three edited books. He has received funding support for his research from reputed agencies such as the DBT, DHR, DST, ICMR and UNICEF. He has been on the full editorial board of many journals, including the Asian Journal of Psychiatry and the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. He has many research awards to his credit-, including the Tilak Venkobarao Oration Award, Marfatia Award, Bhagwat Award, etc, from the Indian Psychiatric Society.

      Contact sessions

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      Zoom sessions

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      Online activities

      Awards

      Success Story

      Dr. Ganesh Kumar M, an alumnus of our fourth batch, got this original article published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine as the first author.

      Dr. Ganesh Kumar M, an alumnus of our fourth batch, got this original article published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine as the first author.

      Glimpses from previous editions

      Click to see more moments of fun and learning in the Gallery

      Testimonials

      • The past 3.5 days were an intellectually enlightening experience. I thank the organisers for making me feel so good and helping me take my confidence to a higher level. All the presentations were so good and clear, and my perspectives on research in Psychiatry changed for the better: from "Oh, so difficult" to "Oh, so it can be attempted even by me!"The whole program and every part of each session was an "AHA" experience for me. Even the participants need a lot of appreciation.

        Private Psychiatrist, BengaluruDr. Shakuntala Rao Nallagatla
        Build Beautiful Websites

      • All the basic topics regarding methodology were covered, which was very useful. I thank the entire team for giving us the opportunity to participate in this course and for conducting this wonderful workshop. All the sessions were wonderful. Looking forward to applying the skills learnt in this course academically.

        Senior Resident, Father Muller Medical College, MangaloreDr. Aishwarya Rao

      • The topic selection was very good. Of course, there is always scope for improvement. Also, I do understand the limitations of having such a diverse group of people at different stages of their careers.

        Assistant Professor, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi.Dr Swarndeep Singh
        Build Beautiful Websites

      • Before the session, I did not understand Anova, Mann-Whitney, etc., but only some basics of how to write papers and grants. The topics and faculty were very carefully selected. Excellent work... enjoyed every minute.

        Senior resident, GMERS Medical college, Gotri, VadodaraDr. Drashti Shah