Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

Overview: The Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) of the New York/New Jersey Veterans Healthcare Network is accepting applications from psychologists for a 2-year Post-Doctoral Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. The Fellowship program is APA accredited* and aims to train psychologists to become leading recovery-oriented clinical researchers with a focus on serious mental illness and suicide. Our mission is to pursue a discovery-to-recovery approach for serious mental illness and suicide by determining causes, identifying predictors, and developing treatments that overcome barriers and enable recovery.

Program Description: The Fellows’ primary appointment will be at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center (JJPVAMC) in the Bronx, NY, with a secondary appointment at the affiliate Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan, NY. Training opportunities will reside in the research, clinical, and educational programs at both institutions. Fellows devote approximately 75% of their time to research activities, research-related clinical activities, and educational activities, and 25% to developing advanced clinical skills in direct patient care. Fellows can spend the majority of research time developing their own line of work. In collaboration with their mentors, Fellows will develop and implement a research project, publish and present findings, participate in grant writing, and utilize the latest technology for educational activities and clinical service delivery. Individualized, mentored research and clinical training are combined with a state-of-the-art educational curriculum that emphasizes research methods, statistics, epidemiology, mental health systems, quality improvement methods, education, and service delivery. VA Fellowship sites are linked electronically for didactic, academic, and research efforts. Our interdisciplinary program aims to train psychologists to become outstanding clinical researchers in high priority areas of mental health.

Faculty: The JJPVAMC MIRECC faculty is internationally recognized for serious mental illness research in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, severe affective disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder), and suicide. Research areas of expertise and interest among the faculty include: neuroimaging, psychophysiology, and molecular biological techniques to better understand the neurobiology of serious mental illness and suicide; psychosocial and behavioral approaches for the treatment of psychosis (e.g., CBT for psychosis), suicide (e.g., dialectical behavioral therapy), and cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia, depression, and suicide (e.g., cognitive remediation, aerobic exercise); digital mobile assessment and interventions (MHealth); predictors of neurocognitive and daily functioning (e.g., exercise, sleep); early detection and prevention of serious mental illness; computational phenotyping and natural language processing; ketamine for treatment-resistant depression; community-based approaches to reduce racial disparities in mental health treatment; and implementation science to promote evidence-based practices. 

More information about MIRECC Fellowship faculty members and their research interests can be found at https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn2/ContactInfo.asp. Fellows’ mentorship can also include other faculty from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai https://icahn.mssm.edu/about/departments/psychiatry. 

COVID-19 & Telework: Telework is available although this position is not a fully virtual position. We have adapted training activities to be conducted remotely, when possible, and will collaborate with Fellows so that they can safely meet their training needs. 

Start Day: The start day is flexible. The fellowship will begin between July 1st and October 1st, 2024.  

Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S. citizens, hold a doctorate from an APA accredited program in clinical or counseling psychology, and be enrolled in or have completed an APA accredited internship in clinical or counseling psychology. Doctoral requirements, including dissertation, must be completed prior to the start of the fellowship. 

Please feel free to contact the Fellowship Director, Dr. Chi Chan at chi.chan1@va.gov with any questions.

*Accreditation is provided by the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation: 750 First St, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 / apaaccred@apa.org / (202) 336-5979