Postdoctoral Fellowship in Implementation Research in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment, University of Pennsylvania

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 improve outcomes for our most vulnerable citizens. The center’s research addresses the needs of individuals with psychiatric and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. Penn CMH has a longstanding commitment to postdoctoral training, and offers a unique environment in which to train early-stage investigators. Over the past three decades, faculty have collaborated closely with community agencies, including Philadelphia’s Departments of Health and Behavioral Health and the School District of Philadelphia. Through these partnerships, we have created unique opportunities to embed postdoctoral trainees in the settings in which they hope to conduct research.

Through our partnership with Penn’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) and our Penn ALACRITY Center, postdoctoral trainees also can learn strategies to apply psychological insights about behavior change to implementation science in mental health.

There are two fellowship positions available through the NIMH funded T32, The Academic-Community Experience (ACE): A postdoctoral training fellowship in implementation science to promote mental health. Each T32 fellow will be assigned one of the following mentors, depending on their interests: Rinad Beidas, PhD; Hilary Bogner, MD, MSCE; Dianne Chambless, PhD; David Mandell, ScD; Steven Marcus, PhD; or David Oslin, MD. These experienced mentors will guide T32 fellows in developing an independent research agenda.

In addition to mentorship, postdoctoral fellows will have access to an abundance of resources, including opportunities to:

• Develop an individualized research program under the mentorship from a core faculty member and secondary mentor chosen from faculty in the broader Penn community.
• Take courses specific to the fellow’s individual needs and interests
• Interact with community partners from the city and state as part of CMH’s relationships with the Department of Behavioral Health, Community Behavioral Health, and the School District of Philadelphia
• Attend 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
• Access pilot funds and receive a budget annually for professional development and Networking
• Conduct both primary data collection and secondary data analysis

For more details on CMH faculty, resources, and projects, visit https://www.med.upenn.edu/cmh/.

Appointment: Summer or fall 2021. Appointments are for one year, with the second year conditional upon the renewal of our training grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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 research and implementation science. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at Penn CMH. We are committed to recruiting and supporting individuals of diverse backgrounds especially those who are underrepresented in science. Past applicants have come from both qualitative and quantitative backgrounds in disciplines such as clinical psychology, school psychology, community psychology, social work, public health, nursing, economics, and anthropology. Recent graduates and those seeking to enhance their skills in new areas are welcome to apply. While we are open to supporting individuals with a variety of interests, we especially encourage applications from those interested in digital health, integrated behavioral health care, substance abuse, global mental health, HIV/mental health, or behavioral economics. Stipends vary with experience.

Applications: Please submit your application by October 15, 2020 for full consideration: https://forms.gle/ubg17Eb4RfPX9iHK6. The application requires you to provide demographic information, brief academic history, your CV, cover letter, up to 3 published manuscripts or writing samples, and the names and emails of three references.

For more information and to apply, view the Fellowship website.