Training

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 citizens at increased risk for mental and substance use disorders. The center’s research addresses the needs of individuals with psychiatric and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. For clinicians-in-training, we offer opportunities to accrue supervised hours toward licensure and to contribute to community training projects and clinical programs. Penn CMH has a longstanding commitment to postdoctoral training, and offers a unique environment in which to train early-stage investigators and clinicians. Over the past four decades, faculty have collaborated closely with community agencies, including Philadelphia’s Departments of Health and Behavioral Health, the School District of Philadelphia, and the early intervention system. We also have growing opportunities in global mental health, through partnerships with several low and middle-income countries. Through these partnerships, we have created unique opportunities to embed postdoctoral trainees in the settings in which they hope to ultimately work independently.

Through our partnership with the Penn Implementation Science Center (PISCE), 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, they are available to all postdocs in our center, in consultation with their primary mentors.

We have two T32 fellowship positions available starting in fall 2025 and may have project-specific postdoctoral positions as well, which vary in their research/clinical/consultation focus. For those interested in primarily clinical fellowships, please reach out to individual programs to inquire about opportunities. These programs include the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall-Mercer (PATCH), Philadelphia Autism Instructional Methods and Supports (Philly Aims), the Penn Autism Clinic, and teacher consultation for students with behavior challenges (BRIDGE). If you have questions about the tracks, please contact David Mandell, ScD, at david.mandell@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

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

• Developing an individualized professional development plan 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 city and state community partners 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, 2025.

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 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, economics, and social work. Both recent graduates as well as those seeking to enhance their skills in new areas are welcome to apply. Stipends vary with experience.

Our faculty recognize the role of institutional and structural racism in reducing opportunities for people from historically marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. 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, 2024, through the following form:  https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_blMpkBwWoWahFVI. You will be asked to provide demographic information, brief academic history, your CV, cover letter, up to 3 published manuscripts or writing samples (e.g., clinical report), 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. A major part of this program is the ongoing support of a community of previous fellows in the mentoring and supervision of the new fellows. 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 Services provides 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. Fellows are expected to complete a quality improvement or organizational change project as part of the fellowship. Fellows are compensated at a minimum of $95,000 plus benefits for the  year. Additional funding is available for conference and educational activities.

For questions contact:

Ashley Un, MD: Ashley.Un@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

FACULTY:

Ashley Un, MD, Psychiatrist at Hall Mercer Community Mental Health Center and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is Director of the Fellowship in Community Psychiatry

Further information about the Fellowship in Community Psychiatry including application process can be found here.