The academic-community experience (ACE): A postdoctoral training fellowship in implementation science to promote mental health

We take two new postdoctoral fellows each year from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to psychology, social work, economics, public health, nursing and psychiatry. Here is the description:

The University of Pennsylvania Training Program in Implementation Science and Mental Health is the only NIMH-funded T32 program in the United States that provides training exclusively in implementation science and mental health. The program is designed to train the next generation of scientists 4 who will study how to improve implementation of assessment, prevention, and intervention practices that can transform mental health delivery across the lifespan. Over the past 35 years, faculty in Penn's Center for Mental Health have collaborated closely with community agencies, including Philadelphia County's behavioral health Medicaid agency, the Philadelphia Departments of Health and Behavioral Health, the School District of Philadelphia, the justice system, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and Penn Medicine. Through these partnerships, we create unique opportunities to embed postdoctoral trainees in the settings in which they hope to conduct implementation research. Penn has emerged as a leader in implementation science, with numerous resources including the Penn Implementation Science Center, and foundational and advanced coursework in implementation science. The proposed training program includes seven experienced investigators from Penn and two community partners as part of the core executive committee. Additional mentors are available from other schools at Penn including the Wharton School of Business and investigators from other local institutions (Drexel, Temple) to encourage interdisciplinary inquiry. Trainees will develop and conduct a small implementation research project with their community that will lead to an F, K, or R grant.

CONTACT

David S. Mandell, ScD
Kenneth E. Appel Professor and Director, Penn Center for Mental Health
Vice-Chair for Faculty Development, Department of Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine 
Email: david.mandell@pennmedicine.UPenn.edu 


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