Psychology Fellowship Descriptions
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offers post-doctoral fellowships in four general areas:
- Pediatric Psychology - with placements in, for example, Oncology, Plastic Surgery, Injury Prevention, Solid Organ Transplant, Sleep Medicine.
- Clinical/Community/Schools Psychology - with placements commonly available in Management of ADHD, Community-based Youth Violence Prevention, and Behavioral Health in Urban Schools.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders - with placements specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Clinical Neuropsychology with a focus in autism.
- Pediatric Neuropsychology - with placements fulfilling INS-Division 40 and Houston Conference guidelines for training in neuropsychology.
Pediatric psychology positions
Solid Organ Transplant (Lefkowitz)
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS 2013-14
Position: This position is designed to have 65-70 percent clinical time commitment with the remainder of time dedicated to clinical research activities. Current research projects include the identification of pre-transplant psychosocial risk factors for poor post-transplant functioning and the transition to adult healthcare in pediatric transplant.
Primary activities: This fellowship provides an opportunity for advanced direct practice in providing psychological services as part of interdisciplinary solid organ transplant teams (heart, lung, kidney and liver). Psychology services provided include:
- Pre-transplant psychosocial assessment of children and families (all organs)
- Inpatient intervention services for children and adolescents awaiting heart and/or lung transplant and their families
- Consultation with the transplant medical teams around patient and parent coping and family-staff interaction
- Follow-up of patients through the interdisciplinary outpatient clinic
Opportunities to provide outpatient psychotherapy are also available. Common referral issues include: adjustment to illness, prolonged hospitalization, and transplant; grief and loss; family/team communication; and adherence to medical regimens pre-and post-transplant.
Qualifications: Candidates with previous clinical and research experiences in pediatric psychology are encouraged to apply.
Start date: July or September 2013; the expectation is that this is a two-year commitment.
Contact: For further information, please contact Dr. Debra Lefkowitz at lefkowitz@email.chop.edu.
Policy Lab in collaboration with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Gerdes)
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS 2013-14
Position: PolicyLab in collaboration with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is seeking a post-doctoral fellow who will have a primary role in an innovative health weight intervention for mothers with newborns. The aim of this project is to develop and pilot a peer-based, social media-enabled intervention to prevent obesity in partnership with the target population of African American mothers at high risk of having obese children in order to establish feasibility, acceptability and explore the impact of the intervention on targeted outcomes.
Primary activities: The role of the fellow will include research design and planning with an interdisciplinary team of pediatricians, psychologists, child psychiatrists, nutritionist and policy strategists; operationalization of a parent-infant curriculum; taking the clinical lead on the facilitation of study participant interactions and participation on a Facebook platform; oversight of patient safety; and full participation with research team in data collection, data analysis and interpretation.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have experience and training in early childhood psychology including supporting mother-infant and mother-toddler relationships, a commitment and experience in behavioral interventions that use the strengths of peer support, a commitment to working with urban families, and a background in clinical research. Experience and interest in healthy weight intervention is preferred. The ideal candidate will be highly organized with attention to detail and have an interest in using social media as an intervention. Applicants must have completed their doctoral degree in applied psychology including clinical internship. Opportunities for obtaining clinical experience and supervision for psychology licensure will be provided.
Note: Women and minority candidates are especially encouraged to apply.
Start date: July or September 2013
Contact: For more information about this position, contact Dr. Marsha Gerdes at gerdes@email.chop.edu.
Family Based Psychotherapy Research and Primary Care Depression Screening Center for Family Intervention Science (Diamond)
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS 2013-14 (contingent upon funding decisions)
Position: CFIS is a treatment and services research center focused on developing, testing and disseminating treatments for adolescents and their families struggling with mental health problems, particularly depression, suicide, and trauma. CFIS is housed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry. Studies at CFIS primarily focus on inner-city African American youth identified in primary care, emergency rooms or psychiatric hospitals seeking outpatient services.
Primary activities: We expect two new positions to open this year. One will focus on psychotherapy research, particularly related to applying Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT) to new populations or implementing it in primary care.
The other position will focus on the integration of behavioral health and primary cares services, particularly related to Web-based screening.
Both fellowships will provide research and clinical training that will support the transition to independent funding.
Qualification: The fellows should be academically motivated with interest in a research career. The fellows will assist in coordinating current projects while piloting new research and grant writing. Clinical training will be provided for those seeking licensure. Roger Kobak, PhD, at the University of Delaware is a collaborator and could also provide mentoring. Minority applicants are highly encouraged to apply.
Start date: July 2013. A two-year commitment is required. Salary is consistent with experience and NIMH guidelines.
Contact: Send a brief letter of interest and vita to Guy Diamond, PhD, at diamondg@email.chop.edu. More materials will be requested if the applicant seems appropriate.
Clinical/community/schools positions
Behavioral Health in Urban Schools (Eiraldi)
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS 2013-14
Position: The Behavioral Health in Urban Schools Program of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is committed to conducting culturally relevant applied research in schools that serve children of low income and ethnic minority backgrounds who are at risk for mental health problems and underutilization of mental health services. The primary goal of the BHUS Program is to reduce barriers to mental health care, with a particular focus on improving access to behavioral health services for children and families in urban school settings.
Primary activities: The fellow will play a leadership role in a clinical trial (R01) funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The fellowship will focus on clinical and research skills related to implementation science and school-wide positive behavior support programming, including training and consultation provided to school personnel as they develop and implement universal and targeted interventions for externalizing and internalizing disorders in K-8 schools. The fellow will be expected to contribute to grant writing and dissemination activities (i.e., manuscript and conference presentation preparation). Access to current and archival datasets will be provided. The fellow will be able to accrue hours for licensure in psychology.
Start date: July 1, 2013; the expectation is that this is a two-year commitment.
Qualifications: Applicants must have a PhD in clinical child or school psychology from an APA-accredited doctoral program. Strong interest in working with underserved children in urban schools is a must. Prior experience is preferred. Bilingual/bicultural (English/Spanish) students are strongly encouraged to apply.
Salary: Salary is based on the NIH rate.
Contact: For more information about this position, contact Dr. Ricardo Eiraldi at eiraldi@email.chop.edu.
School- and Community-Based Interventions for Aggression and Bullying Among Urban Youth (Leff)
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS 2013-14 (contingent upon funding decisions)
Position: The programs led by Dr. Leff aim to enhance the capacity of urban, under-resourced schools and communities to more proactively address problems related to relational (rumors, gossiping, social exclusion), physical (hitting and pushing), and cyber (using electronic means) aggression and bullying. A variety of post-doctoral experiences is available related to the following initiatives. First, the School Support Program is an R01-supported five-year clinical trial funded by NIMH that compares outcomes of at-risk third to fifth grade urban African American girls randomly assigned to one of two school-based interventions: a) a social skills/anger reduction intervention (Friend to Friend) or b) a psychoeducational/homework skills intervention.
Primary activities: Postdoctoral fellows can contribute to the research aspect of the project in order to examine primary hypotheses and outcomes, as well as other variables of interest within our multi-informant assessment battery. In addition, Dr. Leff and his team are working on several new initiatives and have numerous grants under review and/or pending funding in which a fellow can be involved.
First, they are developing a multi-component, multi-level bullying prevention program for urban elementary schools that includes a classroom-based curriculum for students focusing on problem-solving, sympathy and perspective taking, playground and lunchroom consultation, teacher training, and parent/community outreach. A pilot study is anticipated to follow the intervention development phase.
Second, they are conducting qualitative research with adolescents, parents and primary care providers to better understand cyber-bullying and develop intervention strategies and resources.
Third, the research team anticipates the provision of their empirically supported classroom-based bullying prevention program (called PRAISE) across several elementary schools in South Philadelphia in order to decrease aggression and improve problem-solving, student-teacher relationships, educational variables and overall classroom or school climate.
Finally, the research team hopes to secure funding to further develop their community-based group intervention (called PARTNERS) for 10- to 14-year-old youth in conjunction with other nutritional and environmental initiatives in order to decrease community violence. Postdoctoral fellows can contribute to both the research (qualitative and quantitative) and clinical aspects of these projects.
Qualification: Applicants must have completed their doctoral degree with previous clinical and research experiences.
Start date: July or September 2013
Contact: For further information, please contact Dr. Stephen Leff at leff@email.chop.edu.
Autism spectrum disorders positions (Schultz & Miller)
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS 2013-14; three specific fellowships are available (two-year fellowships) (All autism fellowships are contingent upon funding)
Position: The Center for Autism Research (CAR) was recently established by CHOP and Penn to coordinate sponsor, and support state-of-the-art research into understanding the causes and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Studies focus on diagnosis, development, neuropsychology, genetics and neuroimaging of individuals with ASD. CAR has a large training program spanning both research and clinical mentorship. This provides a rich environment for individuals interested in pursuing a career in clinical work, research, or a combination.
Primary activities: The clinical postdoctoral fellowships offer specialty experience in ASDs. Diagnostic evaluations are at the heart of the fellowship, and opportunities to master assessment of individual’s age 6 months to 50 years are available. Opportunities to participate in intervention studies, parent trainings, and community presentations are also available. Participation in research development, implementation, and publication is based on the fellow’s level of experience and CAR’s needs.
Clinical Autism Fellowship (Schultz & Miller)
Position: Focuses on assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Assessments occur in our research clinic, the interdisciplinary Regional Autism Center clinic associated with CHOP, and in community settings or schools as part of ongoing intervention studies.
Pediatric Neuropsychology with a Focus in Autism (Miller & Flynn)
Position: Fellows participate in the same activities as the Clinical Autism Fellowship, and also receive general training in pediatric neuropsychology services for children and adolescents with developmental and acquired neurological disorders (approximately two cases per month, 20 percent time). This fellowship is designed to meet INS-Division 40 and Houston Conference guidelines for training in neuropsychology while maintaining a primary focus on autism.
Autism/LEND Fellowship (Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders) (Miller)
Position: Fellows participate in the same activities as the Clinical Autism Fellowship with additional training in interdisciplinary, community-based, and family- and culturally-sensitive programming through weekly LEND seminars and activities.
Qualifications: Across all three of these fellowship opportunities, significant experience in cognitive testing of children with a wide range of behavioral presentations is required. Experience with ASDs is also required, and exposure to diagnostic procedures is preferred. Knowledge of the ADOS and ADI is a plus.
Contact: Applicants are highly encouraged to contact Ayana King-Pointer kinga@email.chop.edu or 866-570-6524 to facilitate the application process. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.
Pediatric neuropsychology positions (Flynn & Krivitzky)
NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2013-14
The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (DCAPBS) at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has an opening for a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric neuropsychology beginning September 2012. The position offers a two-year residency designed to meet the criteria set forth by the Houston Conference Policy Statement on education and training and participates in the match process through the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN). The goal is to prepare the fellow for a career as a scientist-practitioner in pediatric neuropsychology.
The Pediatric Neuropsychology Program receives referrals from many different medical services, including neurology, neurosurgery, hematology/oncology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation, and from a variety of clinics for care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders or medical health conditions impacting neurobehavioral functioning.
Didactics
Fellows will spend approximately 20 percent of their time in supervision and didactic experiences. Specific didactics include neuropsychology seminar, general psychology seminar, clinical neuroscience conference, brain cuttings, psychiatry grand rounds and neurology grand rounds at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. There are also additional experiences in support of the fellow’s specific clinical responsibilities at the time to include attending weekly stroke conferences, rehabilitation team meetings and epilepsy planning meetings. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in mock fact-finding examinations in preparation for board certification in neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). The trainee may also have the opportunity to be a member of the Program Planning Committee for the Neuropsychology and the Psychology Seminar Series, both of which provide APA-approved CE credits for psychologists.
Clinical experiences
Fellows spend approximately 60 to 70 percent of time devoted to clinical work, which consists of a combination of general outpatient services and focused clinical experiences. The fellow receives approximately two hours of individual supervision per week, to support planning assessments, analyzing data and providing oral and written feedback.
The following is a list of potential clinical experiences the fellow will encounter over the course of two years:
General Outpatient Service
Throughout their two years, all fellows spend a portion of their clinical time providing consultation and neuropsychological evaluation to general outpatients. Referrals to our department come from a variety of referral sources, including general neurology, hematology/oncology, rehabilitation medicine, cardiology, metabolism/genetics, plastic surgery, developmental pediatrics and other medical subspecialties.
Pediatric Regional Epilepsy Program
The fellow has the opportunity to participate in the Multidisciplinary Epilepsy Team Conference, which involves providers from neurology, neuroradiology and neurosurgery in evaluation and consultation activities for children and adolescents diagnosed with epilepsy. The fellow will follow surgery candidates through baseline assessment, possible MEG/Wada evaluation of language and memory functions, cortical mapping, and/ or functional imaging and post-surgical evaluation. The fellow will assist the attending psychologist as a liaison between neuropsychology and the epilepsy program.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit
The overall goal of this experience is for fellows to develop skills in providing neuropsychological assessment services for neurorehabilitation patients as a member of an interdisciplinary team. Whereas the primary objective of this rotation is assessment, there may be selective opportunities for case consultation, behavioral management, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, education, cognitive screening, co-treatment with other members of the team and overall team support. Fellows on this service will be responsible for providing services to patients with various neurorehabilitation needs, such as those regarding traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, encephalitis and seizure disorder. Fellows may also have the opportunity to participate in the Minimally Responsive Evaluation Program, if appropriate patients are entered in this program during their rotation.
Pediatric Stroke Program
The goal of the rotation is for fellows to develop skills in consultation and assessment of children with a history of stroke. The fellow will have the opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team including neurology, physical, occupational, speech-language therapies, social work, school intervention and neuropsychology. The fellow may have the opportunity to provide both outpatient and inpatient consultation services with this population in addition to seeing outpatients with a history of stroke or other vascular malformations. The group of patients is quite diverse, from children with a history of perinatal stroke, vascular malformations, sickle cell and other complex neurologic and genetic disorders resulting in stroke.
Hematology/Oncology
The goal of this experience is for fellows to be exposed to patients from the hematology/oncology population such as children with brain tumors, leukemia or sickle cell disease. This includes our large population of children who are referred to CHOP for proton beam radiation at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, as a collaborative effort between Penn Medicine and CHOP.
Research experience
Approximately 10-20 percent of the fellow’s time should be dedicated to research. The fellow will be assigned a primary research mentor and will be expected to demonstrate competency for independent research after completing the residency. For example, residents are expected to present at local conferences, professional conferences or submit a review paper or chapter by the end of the fellowship.
Our program includes monthly research meetings/seminars to support the development of research skills. There are various active research projects, on topics including outcome from cardiac bypass surgery, working memory in absence epilepsy, neuropsychological functioning in velocardiofacial syndrome, management in the intensive care unit (ICU) following traumatic brain injury, outcomes in children with posterior fossa tumors, and cognitive and neuroimaging follow-up in children with sickle cell disease.
Contact Us
- 215-590-9154
- Contact Us Online