Training Opportunities

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Implementation Research in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

The Penn Center for Mental Health (CMH) at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine invites applications for post-doctoral fellowships. This one-of-a-kind interdisciplinary training program at the intersection of implementation science, public policy, and mental health provides an excellent opportunity for social scientists to improve their knowledge of implementation science, behavioral economics, public mental health systems, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and how to conduct research that can address the needs of our most vulnerable citizens. The center’s research addresses the needs of individuals with psychiatric and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. Penn CMH has a longstanding commitment to postdoctoral training, and offers a unique environment in which to train early-stage investigators. Over the past four decades, faculty have collaborated closely with community agencies, including Philadelphia’s Departments of Health and Behavioral Health and the School District of Philadelphia. Through these partnerships, we have created unique opportunities to embed postdoctoral trainees in the settings in which they hope to conduct research.

Through our partnership with Penn’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), trainees also can learn about and apply psychological insights and methods of behavior change to implementation science in mental health. While these methods and related opportunities are particularly germane to our NIMH-funded T32 and projects funded through our NIMH-funded ALACRITY Center (P50), they are available to all postdocs in our center, in consultation with their primary mentors.

We have up to 4 fellowship positions available through two different opportunities. Please specify which track you are applying to in your cover letter. You may indicate more than one track in your cover letter. If you have questions about the tracks, please contact David Mandell, ScD, at david.mandell@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

T32: Two positions are available through our NIMH funded T32, The Academic-Community Experience (ACE): A postdoctoral training fellowship in implementation science to promote mental health. Each T32 fellow will be matched with mentors from Penn faculty, across departments, depending on their content and methods interests. The T32 fellow will develop a research agenda that will launch their career as an independent scientist.

Project postdocs: Our center often has postdoctoral positions available through our NIH-funded projects. Postdocs in these positions assist with the scientific administration of these projects. They also can gain clinical hours for licensure and develop an independent research agenda. Postdocs in this track have gone on to many different careers, including independent scientists, master clinicians, and government administrators.

In addition to mentorship, postdoctoral fellows will have many resources and opportunities available to them, including:

• Developing an individualized research program under the mentorship from a core faculty member and secondary mentorship from other faculty in the broader Penn community.
• Participation in coursework specific to the fellow’s individualized needs assessment.
• Interaction with community partners from the city and state level as part of CMH’s relationships with the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health, Community Behavioral Health, and the School District of Philadelphia.
• Seminars that include monthly professional development didactics, national implementation science experts at least twice a year, a bimonthly implementation science works-in-progress meeting, and a monthly implementation science journal club.
• Pilot funds and receive a travel budget annually for professional development and networking.

For more details on CMH faculty, resources, and projects, visit https://www.med.upenn.edu/cmh/.

Appointment: Summer or fall, 2023.

Eligibility: The Center seeks applications from persons with a PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree and a strong commitment to a career in mental health services research and implementation science. Past applicants have come from both qualitative and quantitative backgrounds in disciplines such as anthropology, clinical psychology, school psychology, community psychology, medicine, nursing, public health, and social work. Both recent graduates as well as those seeking to enhance their skills in new areas are welcome to apply. We encourage applications with interests in digital health, integrated behavioral health care, substance use, global mental health, or behavioral economics. Stipends vary with experience.

Our faculty recognize the role of institutional and structural racism in reducing opportunities for people of color. We are committed to recruiting fellows from these communities and recognize the value of lived experience and “distance traveled” as part of the application and selection process.

Applications: Please submit your application by November 15, 2022, through the following form: https://forms.gle/7LVa6p5MxUh5Q4w67. You will be asked to provide demographic information, brief academic history, your CV, cover letter, up to 3 published manuscripts or writing samples, and the names and emails of three references.

The Fellowship in Community Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychiatry through The Center of Excellence and Innovation in Public Psychiatry offers one-year post residency fellowships annually. The fellowship was created as a cooperative program with community mental health agency partners and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The fellowship is designed as subspecialty training for psychiatrists who plan leadership careers in the public sector. The core of the fellowship consists of supervised work at collaborating public sector agencies in Philadelphia. These field placements are complemented by an academic curriculum that teaches clinical, leadership and administrative/management skills that will provide fellows with the tools and expertise to become part of the next generation of leaders in public psychiatry. The fellowship is designed to immerse fellows in clinical team leadership experiences and wide exposure to the range of services in the system in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a particularly rich environment for community psychiatry opportunities with a unique funding structure for behavioral health services. The active participation of the city Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services provides unique opportunities for fellows to be involved in a variety of public policy experiences. Each fellowship experience is individually designed to enhance the skills of the fellow and provides a range of clinical practice sites and academic opportunities. We strive to create a creative learning environment with didactic and experiential learning experiences. To apply, please fill out and submit this application. Further information about the Fellowship in Community Psychiatry can be found here.

For questions contact:

Rachel Talley, MD: Rachel.Talley@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

FACULTY:

Rachel Talley, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is Director of the Fellowship in Community Psychiatry and Co-Director of the Center of Excellence and Innovation in Public Psychiatry.

Larry Real, MD, Medical Director of Horizon House and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania is consultant to the Fellowship in Community Psychiatry and Co-Director of the Center of Excellence and Innovation in Public Psychiatry.

CMH offers community-focused training experiences for clinical and school psychology doctoral students seeking clinical training in the assessment and treatment of children with autism.

Students will work as part of a collaborative team under the supervision of licensed psychologists in a variety of community-based and school settings.

Supervised field work hours for the BCBA credential can be provided as part of the practicum experience.

We have three openings for the upcoming training year. A one-year commitment is required:

CONSULTATION:
School-based consultation to teachers of children with autism in public schools

INTERVENTION:
• Implement naturalistic behavioral interventions for preschool-aged children with ASD and related disorders within a therapeutic day program.

• Facilitate social skills groups for school-aged children with ASD

ASSESSMENT:
Comprehensive treatment-planning evaluations for individuals with autism in a specialized autism clinic.

All programs offer supervision, didactic training, and field experience in:
• School consultation
• Evidence-based interventions for children with autism
• Community-based implementation of interventions for children with autism
• Comprehensive and integrated assessments to guide treatment planning for individuals with autism

Interested students should contact Keiran Rump, PhD at:
rumpk@upenn.edu
(215) 746-8104