Meet the Faculty Behind the 2026 Research Training Program
The Research Training Program (RTP) brings together a faculty whose careers have changed how psychoanalytic and psychodynamic treatments are studied, taught, and applied. They work at the intersection of clinical practice and research design, helping clinicians and scholars translate real-world questions into rigorous, meaningful studies. This year’s faculty, representing decades of leadership in psychotherapy research, offer RTP participants both breadth of expertise and depth of mentorship.
Manfred E. Beutel, MD, Dipl. Psych.
Over the past two decades, Dr. Manfred Beutel has built one of Europe’s most influential research centers in psychosomatic medicine and psychodynamic psychotherapy. As medical director at the University Medical Center Mainz from 2004 to 2024, and a principal figure in the Gutenberg Health Study, he has explored how mental disorders emerge, change, and respond to treatment. His work developing psychodynamic manuals for social anxiety, depression, and online interventions has helped shape contemporary training and clinical practice. Dr. Beutel’s career reflects a commitment to understanding how psychodynamic therapy functions across diverse settings—from oncology to cardiology—and how broader environmental and epidemiological factors shape mental health. He brings extensive experience in clinical trials, treatment development, and academic leadership to the RTP classroom.
Eric A. Fertuck, PhD
Dr. Eric Fertuck approaches psychoanalytic research through the lens of social cognitive neuroscience, studying how people perceive and interpret interpersonal cues and how those processes can become disrupted. His research has been supported by NIMH, AFSP, IPA, and APsA, and his scholarship includes more than sixty publications on psychopathology, borderline personality disorder, emotional processing, and treatment mechanisms. As a certified Teacher and Supervisor in Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), Dr. Fertuck has spent twenty-five years training clinicians worldwide—in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. He also brings editorial insight through his role as Associate Editor of Psychoanalytic Psychology. His work helps RTP participants understand how empirical research can illuminate the clinical encounter in new and sophisticated ways.
John C. Markowitz, MD
A leading figure in psychotherapy outcome research, Dr. John Markowitz has devoted his career to comparing and refining evidence-based treatments for mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. His background spans psychodynamic psychotherapy, interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), giving him a uniquely integrative perspective on treatment design and evaluation. Supported by NIMH and other agencies, he has conducted landmark trials examining how different psychotherapies help patients with depression, PTSD, panic disorder, and borderline personality disorder. His experience as both a researcher and a clinician in manualized treatment studies offers RTP participants insight into how rigorous research can clarify therapeutic change and improve patient care.
Barbara Milrod, MD
Dr. Barbara Milrod is internationally known for developing Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP), the first manualized and empirically supported brief psychodynamic treatment for an anxiety disorder. Her research programs have tested PFPP across clinical settings—including VA hospitals—and expanded it through PFPP–Extended Range, designed to treat broader anxiety presentations with a focus on attachment dysregulation. Supported by NIMH, APsA, and NARSAD, she has served as principal investigator on multiple psychotherapy trials and has mentored researchers at every level of training. Having taught and supervised more than four hundred clinicians across eight countries, Dr. Milrod exemplifies how psychodynamic concepts can be operationalized, tested, and disseminated with clarity and impact.
A Faculty Committed to Future Researchers
The RTP faculty offer far more than content expertise—they model the curiosity, rigor, and methodological creativity that drive contemporary psychoanalytic research. Participants learn to generate research questions that matter, design studies that hold up under scrutiny, and carry psychoanalytic ideas into empirical spaces without losing their depth or nuance. Each faculty member brings a distinct voice and perspective, creating an environment where emerging researchers can sharpen their skills and expand their vision for what psychoanalytic research can accomplish.
The Research Training Program thrives because of educators who combine scientific precision with a deep understanding of the clinical encounter. Their contributions ensure that the next generation of psychoanalytic researchers enters the field prepared, supported, and inspired to carry the work forward. The Research Training Program is accepting applications until December 31, 2025. Visit the RTP page to see submission guidelines and requirements.
