Postdoctoral Fellowship at Community Psychiatry Program for Research in Implementation and Dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments (PRIDE) [Due Date: Feb 1, 2017]

Applications are invited for one postdoctoral fellowship position, beginning July 2017, under the mentorship of Dr. Luana Marques, Director of Community Psychiatry PRIDE within the Department of Psychiatry at MGH, and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.

Community Psychiatry PRIDE is a dissemination and implementation (D&I) research center with a mission to reduce mental health disparities in ethnic and racially diverse communities. As such, Community Psychiatry PRIDE focuses on developing strategies for increasing access and improving quality of care for mental health problems in these communities. Through community-based participatory research strategies, Community Psychiatry PRIDE has formed strong academic-community partnerships. Research projects focus on the implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for mental health problems. Generally, study therapists in these projects include mental health specialists and non-specialists who have limited or no prior experience with EBTs.

The postdoctoral fellow will be directly involved all ongoing D&I research projects. The fellow will gain experience in conducting research on cultural adaptation of EBTs, clinical effectiveness trials, implementation trials, and community-based participatory research. The fellow will have access to large epidemiological datasets and will be afforded the opportunity to gain skills in predictive epidemiological modeling of health disparities. With close mentorship from Dr. Marques and field-based learning, the fellow will develop expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods data collection, analysis, and integration.

Primary ongoing research projects include:

• Implementation of cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in diverse communities.
  Description: NIMH-funded implementation-effectiveness trial.
  Partner: MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center—one of MGH’s community health centers where the majority of clients identify as Latino.
• Implementation of a new cognitive-behavioral program for young men at high-risk for incarceration.
  Description: A foundation-funded project focused on the development and pilot-testing of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy-based curriculum at a community-based organization. Providers in this trial are paraprofessionals.
  Partner: Roca, Inc.— a nonprofit organization in Chelsea, MA that serves young men ages 17-24 who are at high risk of incarceration, have limited employment or educational experiences, and are gang (or street) involved.
• Transdiagnostic Approaches to Facilitate Sustainable Implementation of Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatment in Safety Net Settings.
  Description: A small pilot project focused on the adaptation and implementation of the Unified Protocol (UP) in safety net settings. This includes identifying and addressing the organizational social context of patients in order to adapt the UP, and piloting the feasibility of the adapted version.
  Partner: Boston University and Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program— a nonprofit organization that serves some of the most vulnerable in the greater Boston area, providing or assuring access to the highest quality health care for all homeless men, women, and children.

The fellowship has a strong emphasis on translational research, and ideal candidates are individuals interested in pursuing an academic career. To support career development in research, fellows will receive protected research time and grant-writing mentorship. Fellows are expected to make significant contributions to the research productivity of the lab, including preparation of manuscripts as well as submitting for extramural funding (for their own research and for the lab). Clinically-trained fellows may additionally be involved in training and supporting community-based providers enrolled in ongoing research projects. Fellows will also be involved in direct clinical care to the extent that is necessary for licensure.

Community Psychiatry PRIDE is offering a one year, postdoctoral fellowship program for individuals with an interest in clinical psychology and public health. The fellow will be considered for a joint Harvard Medical School appointment (appointment is not guaranteed). The candidate would preferably have a PhD in Clinical or Counseling Psychology, or related disciplines with an interest in implementation science, diversity, community mental health, and/or health disparities. Salary is competitive with excellent benefits.

Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest (addressed to Dr. Luana Marques), curriculum vitae, list of three references, and a writing sample (preferably a published manuscript) to Kaylie Patrick (kpatrick6@mgh.harvard.edu).

Application deadline: February 1, 2017