Research Department Marks a Milestone

      Many staff members know that Dr. Marnie Rice retired from the OPS in 2002 and this had us reminiscing about our past. The Research Department was established in 1975 by Vern Quinsey, its first Director. Readers wanting to know about our projects past and present can learn more by sending us an e-mail message. It's also interesting to see (http://psyc.queensu.ca/faculty/quinsey/quinsey.html) what became of Vern since. Here, rather than summarize all our work, I want to highlight some key themes running through the roles Vern and then Marnie played in the Research Department over the past 28 years.

      High Standards. It's fair to say that Vern and Marnie established a tradition of scientific rigor. The ease with which a task can be done has lower priority than doing whatever it takes to maximize the accuracy and applicability of the results. This often means learning new methods or repeating a task to get it right. It always means meticulous attention to detail.

      Application. Vern and Marnie led the Research team to combine contributions to scientific theory and applications to clinical practice. Of the more than 200 scientific and professional publications by members of the Research Department, more than 40% addressed treatment for the types of patients currently admitted to our institution, 40% more were about assessment for such patients, and a further 12% concerned clinical training and the organization of psychiatric hospitals and systems. In almost every case, the work identified ways services could be improved.

      Focus and Follow Through. Though fashions change, members of our Research team have tackled some of the most important problems in the field: the best way to evaluate the risk of violence, the causes of youth violence, assessment and treatment of sex offenders, the nature and causes of psychopathy, appropriate assessment and treatment for forensic and nonforensic psychiatric patients, and psychiatric staff training. Researchers have added knowledge in each of these areas, but they all remain central topics in mental health research and practice.

      Innovation. Vern and Marnie led members of the Research team to an interest in new methods and they often modeled unconventional and creative thinking. Phallometric testing, evaluating clinicians' judgments, staff training in aggression management skills, scoring the Psychopathy Checklist from clinical records, hypotheses about psychotherapy increasing recidivism, taxometric and receiver operator statistics, applying evolutionary theory to criminal violence, and our research partnership with the Behavioural Sciences Section of the OPP are a few examples of extremely fruitful innovations.

      Teams with Leaders. The history of the Research Department is characterized by cohesive teams and true leadership. Without question, the achievements in the previous paragraphs are due to the examples set by our Department's two past Directors, Vern Quinsey and Marnie Rice. Their approach to leadership embodied clarity of vision, profound technical knowledge, support for the goals and ambitions of team members, continuous learning, working hard, personal integrity and kindness. These rare qualities mean that the Research Department, whose seven members average more than twenty years' service, has always been strong and effective.