Clinical Psychology Fellowship Positions

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Fellowship Program in Clinical Psychology includes a variety of unique fellowship opportunities. Check the detailed descriptions below for current positions in our four general areas of specialization.

The psychology and neuropsychology fellowships change from year to year. We recommend that you check back periodically, as new positions may become available in the next few months.

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2022-2023

Clinical Child/Integrated Primary Care Psychology (B Schwartz)

The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (DCAPBS) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has an opening for a one-year psychology postdoctoral fellowship in clinical child and integrated primary care psychology starting in Summer 2022. The fellow will have opportunities for clinical training in both an outpatient behavioral health practice and integrated behavioral health in one or more primary care centers located within the City of Philadelphia. Both clinical programs are part of our multidisciplinary department of child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, and licensed clinical social workers. Psychologists and psychology trainees provide clinical services and work collaboratively with interdisciplinary team members for patient care, program development, and quality improvement projects.  

This position is designed to have 80% clinical time commitment (including supervision time) with 20% time dedicated to clinical research/quality improvement activity and didactics. The fellow will receive clinical training through the Division of Outpatient Behavioral Health in our main ambulatory behavioral health site (3440 Market Street, Philadelphia), as well as through the Division of Community Care and Wellness at primary care practices in Philadelphia. The fellow will have a primary mentor for the training year, as well as receive 2 hours of supervision per week from assigned licensed, supervising psychologists who are part of our large and diverse training faculty.  

Clinical training in the Division of Outpatient Behavioral Health (50% of clinical experience) will include 2 6-month intervention rotations with a specialty clinical service (e.g., ADHD, mood disorders, eating disorders), diagnostic evaluations through a new patient clinic, and delivery of group intervention (e.g., behavioral parent training). Clinical training in the Division of Community Care and Wellness (50% of clinical experience) will occur through the Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids integrated primary care program (https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/healthy-minds-healthy-kids-integra...), including rotations in two different primary care sites (6 months at each site). Services include a combination of intervention and consultation, plus teaching with pediatrics residents and primary care providers. Finally, the fellow will be assigned a research/QI mentor, and the project will be designed based on fellow interests. Projects can align with/expand upon existing work occurring within the Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids program or Division of Outpatient Behavioral Health.

The application deadline for this position only is December 1, 2021. Applications are collected through the APPA-CAS portal and should include:

• Letter of interest (specify your interest in the clinical child/integrated primary care psychology position)
• Curriculum vitae
• Graduate transcript (unofficial is acceptable)
• Two letters of recommendation

Additional questions can be directed to Lauren Krivitzky, PhD, ABPP-Cn, Director of Fellowship Training (KrivitzkyL@chop.edu) or Billie Samantha Schwartz, PhD, Primary Mentor for the position.

Perinatal Mental Health and Early Childhood Program (Cole)

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2022-2023

We are pleased to announce the availability of a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology in Perinatal Mental Health and Early Childhood Follow-up at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) starting in Summer/Fall 2021. This fellowship provides an opportunity for advanced direct practice, research, and program development in providing psychological services as part of a variety of programs in the Departments of Surgery and Pediatrics at CHOP.

The primary focus of the fellowship is the expansion of psychology services within the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT), with opportunities to support infants and families in the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) and during neurodevelopmental follow-up assessments. The CFDT is a multidisciplinary clinical program dedicated to providing focused specialized services for pregnant patients carrying babies with birth defects and/or complex medical or genetic conditions. Women receive comprehensive maternal/fetal assessments, close monitoring and prenatal care, and give birth in the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit (SDU) at CHOP, the world’s first obstetrics unit housed within a pediatric hospital. Many babies immediately transition to the N/IICU, a Level IV 102 bed unit, after birth. Clinical practice focuses on supporting women and their partners, as they may experience perinatal mental health challenges often exacerbated when faced with a complication in pregnancy and a subsequent neonatal intensive care hospitalization. The fellow will achieve a better understanding of the relations between prenatal and postnatal medical complications requiring surgical intervention and later neurodevelopmental outcomes and help parents advocate for and connect with their children in ways that will promote child development.

Services in the fellowship program will be focused on building clinical competence in four main areas: 1) mental and behavioral health care to expectant and postpartum parents, 2) neonatal attachment and bonding, 3) perinatal bereavement services, and 4) neurodevelopmental assessment. This fellowship is an exciting opportunity to play an integral part of the expansion of psychology in clinical, programmatic and research activities.

In addition to clinical participation in the CFDT program, additional clinical rotations include:

1. Inpatient Short- and Longer-Term Intervention Services on the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit
2. Neurodevelopmental Assessment with direct practice opportunities in the assessment of medically high-risk infants, toddlers and preschoolers (ages 6 months to 6 years)
3. Research/Program Development within the Departments

Supervisors for this fellowship include Joanna Cole, PhD (hiring manager, primary mentor; CFDT Program and outpatient services supervisor), Chavis Patterson, PhD and Casey Hoffman PhD (N/IICU and inpatient services supervisors), and Jane Schreiber, PhD (neurodevelopmental assessment supervisor).

This position is designed to have 65-70 percent clinical time commitment with the remainder of time dedicated to clinical research and program development/quality improvement activities. The anticipated start date for this fellowship is July 11, 2022. Candidates with previous clinical and research experiences in pediatric psychology are especially encouraged to apply.

For more information, please email Dr. Cole.

Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (Turner)

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2022-2023

Our fellowship provides an opportunity for advanced clinical practice in providing pediatric psychology services as part of the interdisciplinary team within the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.  The GI interdisciplinary team is comprised of medicine, nursing, nutrition, social work, child life, and psychology. A team of 8 full-time GI Psychologists and trainees provide integrated clinical services and work collaboratively with interdisciplinary team members for patient care, program development, and quality improvement projects and scholarly research. The GI Psychology Fellows will have ample opportunities for shoulder-to-shoulder care within our various interdisciplinary clinics across the division. 

Pediatric psychology services include:

• Outpatient consultation, assessment, and intervention for children and adolescents at the Main Campus and suburban specialty care sites. GI presentations include chronic GI conditions (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, eosinophilic esophagitis), functional abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation with and without encopresis, gastroparesis, vomiting, and rumination.
• Common referral requests include providing cognitive-behavioral interventions for coping with and adjustment to chronic illness, pain management, constipation and toileting difficulties, treatment adherence, and school avoidance. Group programming may include intervention for various GI presentations and illnesses.
• Involvement in Patient and Family Education Days and support groups for children of various ages with specific GI illnesses and their parents.
• Participation in quality improvement projects, scholarly research, and program development

This position is designed to have 60-70 percent clinical time commitment with the remainder of time dedicated to clinical research, didactics and program development activities.  Clinical time will also likely include telehealth services, with the percentage of time to be determined in the context of current COVID-19 pandemic. The fellow will receive two hours of supervision per week (one hour each with two primary clinical supervisors from GI Psychology group).  Specific didactics include GI Psychology Group Meetings, GI Psychosocial Rounds, Psychiatry Grand Rounds at CHOP and HUP, and DCAPBS Psychiatry Seminar and Professional Development Series. 

The position is a one-year fellowship, with an anticipated start date of July 12, 2022,. For more information, please email Betsy Turner, PhD.

Solid Organ Transplant (Lefkowitz, Plevinsky)

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2022-2024

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
  • Grief and loss
  • Family/team communication
  • Adherence to medical regimens pre- and post-transplant

This position is designed to have 65 to 70 percent clinical time commitment with the remainder of time dedicated to clinical research activities.

The position is a one- or two-year fellowship beginning summer/early fall. Candidates with previous clinical and research experiences in pediatric psychology are encouraged to apply. For more information, please email Dr. Lefkowitz.

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2023

The Center for Autism Research (CAR) was established by CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania 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 on the autism spectrum. CAR has a large training program spanning both research and clinical mentorship. Researchers and clinicians are co-located in our Center, and there are multiple opportunities for cross-discipline discussion around clinical issues and clinically relevant research. This provides a rich environment for fellows interested in pursuing a career in clinical work, research, or a combination. Fellows also have opportunities to participate in didactics associated with CHOP’s broader post-doctoral fellowship program.

Beginning in the 2023 training year, we will have up to 3 positions available for fellows with interests in ASD specialty diagnostic and assessment training experiences that span later school-age through adolescence and adulthood populations. Evaluations occur in our research clinic.  Experiences are available with individuals on the autism spectrum who vary widely with respect to communication/language, cognitive abilities, adaptive skills, and co-occurring mental health challenges/diagnoses. Additional opportunities are available to participate in parent trainings and community presentations and to provide supervision to junior trainees. A key goal is to provide the clinical and supervisory experiences needed for licensure. Participation in research development, implementation, and publication is also available, based on the fellow’s career goals, level of experience, and CAR’s needs. This fellow will be a core member of a multidisciplinary team that includes clinical research assistants, psychometricians, and licensed psychologists – as such, there is ample opportunity for collaboration and leadership.

Qualifications:

• Significant experience in cognitive testing of individuals with a wide range of behavioral presentations
• Experience in working with individuals with ASD and related conditions
• Experience scoring assessments, conceptualizing cases, and writing comprehensive reports
• Exposure to providing verbal feedback of testing results to families 
• Exposure to diagnostic procedures is preferred
• Knowledge of the ADOS and ADI is a plus

As part of their training, fellows will develop expertise in ASD and a broad range of measures necessary for successful and comprehensive evaluation of autism and psychiatric symptoms during later school-age, adolescence, and adulthood. This fellowship will provide opportunities to develop clinical expertise in complex differential diagnosis and to build knowledge around transition-age needs for support during middle school, high school, and adulthood. Experiences will be tailored to fellows’ specific interests, with possibilities existing to prioritize training and focus around a specific developmental period (e.g., adolescence). Fellows will become experts in the administration and interpretation of core autism diagnostic measures (ADI-R and ADOS) and in other measures frequently used in psychiatric evaluations (K-SADS). They will lead clinical evaluations, provide verbal feedback to parents, write comprehensive diagnostic reports, and participate in supervision activities. In addition, studies utilize methodologies, such as eye tracking, MRI, and/or MEG, with which fellows may have opportunities to observe and gain experience. Opportunities to get involved in analytic workgroups, publications, and research activities are available for those with the requisite interest and background.

Either one-year or two-year fellowship opportunities will be considered. Fellow’s stipend is commensurate with the current NIH-salary guidelines for post-doctoral trainees.  The position is full-time and includes participation in CHOP’s benefits program.  All applicants must have: (1) attended an APA-accredited doctoral program; (2) completed an APA-accredited internship; and (3) completed all requirements for their doctoral degree prior to beginning the fellowship.

For more information about this fellowship opportunity, please email your CV and cover letter to Dr. Juhi Pandey at pandeyj@chop.edu .

This fellowship provides an opportunity for clinical research and advanced practice as part of the Behavioral Oncology Program of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research. The fellow in this position will primarily be involved in the research studies of Dr. Matthew Hocking with the opportunities for collaboration with other Behavioral Oncology research faculty, including Drs. Barakat, Psihogios, and Schwartz. Additionally, the fellow will have the opportunity to develop their own research portfolio. Dr. Hocking’s current funded studies focus on the neurodevelopmental consequences of childhood cancer and neurofibromatosis type 1 and employs various methodologies, including neurocognitive testing, neuroimaging, and evaluation of social functioning.

General training opportunities include:

• Training in statistical methods, grant preparation, and dissemination of research through poster and paper presentations and manuscripts
• Participation in structured training offered through the CHOP Research Institute, the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
• Participation in collaborations with other investigators across the CHOP/Penn campus, including those from the Center for Autism Research and Division of Endocrinology, and with investigators from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

This position is designed to have 80 percent research effort with the remainder of time dedicated to clinical training activities as part of our Psycho-oncology Consultation/Intervention Service and Cancer Center Psychosocial Services Program. The position is a two-year fellowship beginning July or September 1. Candidates with previous research experiences in pediatric psychology are encouraged to apply.

For more information, please email Dr. Matthew Hocking (hockingm@chop.edu).

Two-year Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship (Krivitzky)

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2022-2024

This two-year fellowship program is 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 program is a member of APPCN and the goal is to prepare the fellow for a career as a scientist-practitioner in pediatric neuropsychology.

Find application details for our postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology »

NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

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 mood disorders beginning in the Summer of 2020 pending funding. The goal is to prepare the fellow for a career as a researcher in pediatric mood disorders.

The Child and Adolescent Mood Program (CHAMP) within DCAPBS is a multidisciplinary team providing evaluation and treatment for youth with mood symptoms. Through this specialty clinical research program, data is collected with the goal of characterizing the pediatric mood disorder population. Biological and psychosocial risk and protective factors for depression and suicide risk are being investigated.  The fellow is expected to participate in the clinical research program and the writing of grants and papers.  

The Child and Adolescent Mood Program at CHOP includes psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers and works closely with the Department of Immunology. The department also houses a predoctoral internship with tracks in pediatric neuropsychology, pediatric psychology, child clinical psychology, integrated behavioral health, and Autism Spectrum Disorders that is accredited by the American Psychological Association.

The mood disorder post-doctoral training program covers a period of 1-2 years, and consists of primarily research and educational activities. Clinical activities are available if needed.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  Applications should include:

• Letter of interest (specify your interest in the pediatric mood disorder position)
• Curriculum vitae
• Graduate transcript
• Three letters of recommendation

Please send all application materials electronically via APPA-CAS.

Questions can be directed to psychologytraining@email.chop.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Early Childhood Psychologist (Gerdes)

NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

The Early Childhood Psychologist fellowship will include both a clinical rotation in the Neonatal Follow-up Program at the Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care and a research rotation in a project which might be focused on reducing expulsion and suspension in childcare centers or addressing the problem of providing mental health services to diverse pediatric populations.

The Neonatal Follow-up Program was established by CHOP and Penn over 30 years ago to provide close follow-up care for infants being discharged from the NICUs at HUP and CHOP. Care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of physicians, psychologists, physical therapists and a social worker. Children and their families are seen at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months adjusted age, and 30 and 48-60 months chronologic age for both for medical and physical exam and psychological assessment. The program aims to be responsive to family's needs and concerns. The role of the psychologist is to conduct full standardized psychological assessments, including interpretation, diagnosis, and counseling and feedback with families. Consultation with the interdisciplinary team and with community service providers is also a part of the experience.

The research segment of this fellowship offers experiences in implementation of interventions with teachers, children and parents, opportunities for qualitative interviewing, and participation in data entry, analysis, and interpretation. There will also be opportunities for academic publications, development of policy recommendations, and presentations. The degree of participation in research development, implementation and publication is based on the fellow's career goals and level of experience.

Preferred experience includes:

• Experience in psychological testing of children under the age of 5 years with a wide range of behavioral presentations
• Experience in working with individuals with a range of developmental challenges including autism
• Exposure to diagnostic procedures
• Knowledge of childcare
• Prior experience in community based research

Depending on prior level of experience and interest, fellows may have the opportunity to supervise graduate student externs and other trainees.

For more information, please email Dr. Marsha Gerdes.

Behavioral Health in Urban schools/Implementation Science (Eiraldi)

NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

The Behavioral Health in Urban Schools Program at 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 school settings.

Primary Activities: The fellows will play a leadership role in an ongoing implementation clinical trial (R01) funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and in a pending program development project funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES).

The main goal of the R01 clinical trial is to assess the effectiveness of two versions of a group CBT program for anxiety disorders and two implementation strategies (hybrid trial) with urban school-aged youth. The fellow will assist co-investigators with subject recruitment and training therapists and clinical supervisors from participating community mental health agencies.

The primary aim of the IES project is to conceptualize and develop, through an iterative process, a training and consultation platform that can be delivered remotely to rural schools that are currently implementing school-wide positive behavior intervention and supports (SWPBIS) and to pilot test the efficacy of that platform. The training platform would be used for the training of school behavioral health staff to implement mental health evidence-based practices at Tier 2.

This fellowship is for students contemplating a career involving research and program development in underserved settings. The fellows will be expected to contribute to grant writing and dissemination activities (i.e., presentations at local and national meetings, manuscript preparation). Although funding is secure for two years, fellows are expected to seek self-funding during the second year of the fellowship (e.g., private foundations, career development K-type grants) for the period after post-doctoral training. Access to current and archival datasets will be provided. Additionally, fellows will be able to accrue hours for licensure in psychology.

Deadline for Applications: not accepting applications

For more information about these positions, contact Dr. Ricardo Eiraldi at 215-590-7759 or via email.

NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Drs. Stephen Leff and Tracy Waasdorp and the aggression and bullying prevention research team are offering a one to two year postdoctoral fellowship designed to provide experience conducting research within urban, under-resourced schools and communities in an effort to proactively address the problems related to relational (rumors, gossiping, social exclusion), physical (hitting and pushing), and cyber (using electronic means) aggression and bullying. The position combines a range of research experiences and potential clinical opportunities related to our school-based programs as supervised by Drs. Leff and Waasdorp, and/or by Drs. Brooke Paskewich and Christine Waanders. There are also opportunities to teach and mentor interdisciplinary colleagues participating in a year-long research training program as part of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program at CHOP and see a limited number of patients through the outpatient clinic within the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Background: Despite the documented need, there are very few, effective, culturally-sensitive relational aggression prevention programs for high-risk girls and their classmates in urban schools.Particularly those that equip staff with much needed training to lead and sustain the program. Addressing these gaps, the Friend to Friend (F2F) Program was developed through an extensive partnership between Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and urban students, teachers, administrators and parents from the School District of Philadelphia.

A main focus of Friend to Friend (F2F) is reducing relationally aggressive behaviors (gossip, rumors, and social exclusion) which is known to cause distress beyond the classroom, playing out days later in the hallways, playground, and even in social media. Whereas prior versions of Friend to Friend were implemented by CHOP research staff, a current R01 clinical trial puts the school in the role of the interventionists, where they learn the strategies and curriculum and provide the program to their students. School staff will have coaching from CHOP research staff to provide guidance throughout the intervention. This coaching model will enable school staff the skills to implement the Friend to Friend program long after research funding has ended, creating a sustainable model for school-based aggression prevention in urban under-resourced schools.

Research Experiences: A variety of research experiences are available related to the following initiatives which are funded through a combination of federal grants, foundation funding, donations, and through our Center for Violence Prevention (CVP), of which Dr. Leff is a Director.

1. 1. We have begun a cluster randomized control trial (briefly described above) including 40 urban schools in which 20 schools are randomized to the F2F with Coaching intervention and 20 schools are randomized to standard school practice (e.g., referring aggressors to the counselor). Ten of the intervention schools will participate in a second year to explore program effectiveness and challenges when coaching and training is at more modest levels.
2. We have re-fashioned our PRAISE universal classroom aggression and bullying prevention program to support counselors providing push-in lessons with teacher generalizability activities throughout the week.
3. We are conducting a series of QI studies to better understand how bullying screening procedures and resources are meeting the needs of youth within the CHOP Primary Care network, as well as how well these procedures and resources are working with youth with High-Functioning ASD and their families when seen by Developmental and Behavioral Pediatricians.
4. Newer initiatives include: (a) developing a foundational intervention program for younger children who experience relational aggression, (b) integration of technology within intervention programming to help engage older youth in aggression and bullying prevention programming, and (c) a coaching and mixed-reality intervention to help teachers to detect, intervene and prevent bullying in their classrooms.

Applications are due January 1, 2020 and will be collected through APPA-CAS. Questions can be directed to psychologytraining@email.chop.edu. For more information, please email Dr. Leff.