Postdoctoral Fellowships in Psychology
Psychology and Behavioral Health offers postdoctoral fellowships for psychologists. Fellowships are sponsored by individual faculty members and tailored to meet the specific needs of trainees. Read more about fellowships at Children’s National.
See our current fellows on our meet the team page.
Child Clinical Fellowships
ADHD and Learning Differences Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The ADHD & Learning Differences Program invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow position. We are seeking individuals with a strong interest in interventions/implementation research and/or digital mental health. The primary activities for the fellow include leading publications, grant writing, presentations and participating in ADHD & Learning Differences Program activities including providing implementation consultation to school mental health providers. The fellow will also have a leadership role in a school-based randomized controlled trial funded by the NIMH evaluating a technology-enhanced organization/time management skills intervention. The fellow will have the opportunity to publish manuscripts from project data as well as access to multiple large longitudinal and treatment datasets focused on attention, behavior and psychosocial functioning in children, adolescents and emerging adults.
Applicants should have strong analytic/statistical skills in order to take full advantage of these opportunities. At least 50% effort will be protected time for publication and grant writing. The fellow will also have the opportunity to work with other members of the Center for Translational Research, CTSI-CN, and across the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health including other faculty, fellows and students. The one-to-two-year fellowship is designed to prepare the fellow for pursuit of a tenure-track position in academia and licensure in psychology. Fellows receive weekly clinical and research mentoring with the goal of ensuring that they are highly competitive job applicants upon completion of fellowship. The ADHD & Learning Differences Program has a thriving mental health clinic where the fellow can gain hours towards licensure. Fellowships in the ADHD & Learning Differences Program are part of a larger network of Psychology Fellowships in the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health at Children’s National with associated didactic and professional development training. Additional opportunities are available in program development, education, research, advocacy and community engagement.
Application Requirements:
- Candidates should have a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, School Psychology, Developmental Psychology or related field at the time the fellowship starts
- We encourage applications from all competitive applicants, with attention to experience in interventions/implementation research, academic-community partnerships or school mental health
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty, and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials via email to: Melissa Dvorsky, Ph.D.
- Letter of interest describing research accomplishments and plans for future scholarship
- Curriculum vitae
- Provide names and contact information for three references
Deadline for applications is December 1, 2023. Potential applicants are welcome to schedule a meeting with Dr. Dvorsky to discuss fit. Please include "ADHD Fellowship" in the subject of your email. Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Anxiety Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The Anxiety Disorders Program postdoctoral fellowship provides advanced clinical training in child psychology with an emphasis on anxiety. Clinical work during this 1-year fellowship primarily involves diagnostic evaluations and interventions for a wide range of anxiety presentations such as (but not limited to) generalized anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, selective mutism, PANS/PANDAS, specific phobia, panic disorder, and medically-related anxiety. CBT and CBT-ERP are the main modalities with use of other empirically-supported treatments as needed. Our multidisciplinary clinic offers outpatient services (individual and group treatments) to a diverse population in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas.
The postdoctoral fellow will be able to participate in team meetings and collaborate with our psychiatry counterparts in clinical care and research endeavors (if interested). Fellows also have opportunities to gain clinical and/or research exposure in other areas of general child clinical or pediatric psychology via mini-rotations throughout the training year. Interested fellows can provide umbrella supervision to psychology externs. Didactics are an important component of the fellowship program and will focus on topics related to anxiety, general clinical child psychology and professional development through participation in the Anxiety Disorders Program team meetings, Behavioral Health Grand Rounds (BHGR) and Fellow Seminar Series. The position will primarily be at the Takoma Theatre location in Washington, D.C., with potential opportunities to go to other locations based on mini-rotations. The position will include telemedicine services. Salary is commensurate with NIH guidelines and funding is provided for professional development activities (e.g., conference travel, clinical workshops, etc.). Candidates with prior clinical experience in pediatric anxiety are encouraged to apply. Anticipated start date in August 2024 (though may be negotiable).
Application Requirements:
- Completed APA-accredited internship
- Completed all requirements for their Ph.D. or Psy.D. prior to beginning the position
- Clinical experience with pediatric anxiety
- Obtain Psychology Associate License in D.C. and MD (please note, you will need to apply prior to fellowship start and the D.C. board considers date of degree conferment as completion date versus when degree requirements may have been completed)
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty, and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials to Mi-Young Ryee, Ph.D.
- Letter of interest describing relevant experience and interest
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation directly from your letter writers
- Please include “Anxiety Fellowship Application” in the subject line of your email
Deadline for applications is December 1, 2023. Interviews are anticipated in January - February 2024 (all virtual). We look forward to your application!
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Autism and Advocacy Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The goal of this postdoctoral fellowship is to support an integrative autism-focused training experience across clinical and advocacy domains and to promote the fellow’s trajectory as an independent clinical psychologist.
Fellowship Structure:
This is a one-year position (with potential option to extend for a second year) with a flexible start date (anticipated between July and September 2024 depending on need of fellow). Salary is commensurate with NIH guidelines and funding is provided for professional development activities (e.g., conference travel, clinical workshops). The position will be located at several different sites in D.C. The position will include some telemedicine services and remote work opportunities.
Clinical Training will focus on providing autism diagnostic evaluations through the Autism in Primary Care (APC) program and through the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD). The APC represents a partnership between several divisions at Children’s National (Child Health Advocacy Institute (CHAI), CASD, the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, Whole Bear Care, and the Goldberg Centers for Community Pediatric Health) with the goal of facilitating more timely and equitable access to autism evaluations in primary care. CASD, the largest multidisciplinary pediatric autism program in the Washington, D.C., region, provides evidence-based clinical care and supports education and advocacy. The fellow will gain training in ASD diagnostic assessment across the lifespan, working with toddlers to older youth in primary care and specialty clinic settings. The fellow will gain facility with various diagnostic tools including STAT, ADOS-2 and CARS-2, along with measures of cognitive and adaptive function as required for best practice evaluation procedures.
The fellow will have opportunities for additional elective experiences, such as providing outpatient intervention through the Early Childhood Behavioral Health Program and/or Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. This may include opportunities providing Applied Behavior Analysis informed treatment, evidenced-based executive-functioning treatment groups, running groups for parents of children newly diagnosed with autism, or providing other types of therapy depending on their interests and prior experiences. Other electives, such as those focused on pediatric psychology, research, neuropsychology, running groups for parents of children newly diagnosed with autism, or providing other types of therapy depending on their interests and prior experiences, may be discussed during the interviewing process.
Advocacy/Research: The fellow will have the opportunity to gain experience with advocacy and program evaluation/research by participating in the Community Mental Health CORE (Collaboration, Outreach, Research, Equity) within the CHAI. The Community Mental Health CORE is a multi-disciplinary team of professionals focused on improving mental health care access, equity, and sustainability. Through partnerships, policy and advocacy, research and evaluation, and by providing technical assistance and education, the CMH CORE takes a comprehensive approach to tackling challenging issues by focusing on multiple levels of the system, including:
- Infrastructure-building initiatives that focus on sustainable systems-level approaches to promoting accessible and equitable behavioral health care
- Enabling services that focus on population- and community-level services to build capacity and connect providers and families to needed resources
- Direct services that provide innovative, gap-filling services to children and families until such services can be more sustainably supported (such as the APC).
While specific initiatives will be determined based in part on the fellow’s interests, the fellow will likely support activities of the DC Autism Collaborative and other initiatives focused on integrated behavioral health and social determinants of health screening and support in primary care.
Professional Development: The fellow will have built-in didactics pertaining to autism, early childhood behavioral health and a range of other topics. This includes the opportunity for participation in leadership training in neurodevelopmental disabilities via the LEND program. Interested fellows may be able to provide umbrella supervision to psychology externs.
Application Requirements:
- Applicants should have training from APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral and internship programs
- Completed all requirements for their Ph.D. or Psy.D. prior to beginning the position
- Obtain Psychology Associate License in Maryland and the District of Columbia (will need prior to start of fellowship)
We serve a diverse population of patients and seek to continue to grow a workforce that reflects the communities we serve, thus applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials to Leandra Godoy, Ph.D.
- Letter of interest describing relevant experience and interest
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation directly from your letter writers
- Please include “CASD-CHAI Fellowship Application” in the subject line of your email
Deadline for applications is December 1, 2023. Applications will be reviewing on a rolling basis and we may continue reviewing applications until the position is filled. Interviews are anticipated in December - February with a virtual option. We look forward to reviewing your application!
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Early Childhood Behavioral Health Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Children’s National Early Childhood Behavioral Health Program anticipates 1 postdoctoral fellowship position in the Division of Psychology. The goal of this postdoctoral fellowship is to support an integrative early childhood-focused training experience across clinical, research, teaching and advocacy domains and to promote the fellow’s trajectory as an independent clinical psychologist. We have a firm commitment to training within a health equity, social justice framework that promotes an understanding of how sociocultural factors impact child, family, and community functioning and strengthens the fellow’s advocacy skills. The position is a one-year fellowship with potential for a second-year advanced fellowship based on the matching of program and fellow interests.
Fellowship Structure:
Clinical training will focus on providing outpatient clinical care within the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health in the Early Childhood Behavioral Health Program, though the fellow will also have opportunities to provide consultation within primary care settings. The fellow will receive training in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), with opportunities to become a PCIT-certified therapist (or L1 Trainer for those who are PCIT-certified). The fellow can also receive training in Applied Behavior Analysis informed treatment and trauma informed treatments (via Child Parent Psychotherapy or Trauma-Focused CBT). There are also opportunities to co-lead group-based social communication therapy and/or parent support groups. The bulk of clinical training will focus on outpatient prevention and intervention, but the fellow would also have the opportunity to provide young child assessment and diagnostic evaluations for children with developmental delays and autism spectrum disorder. The fellow will work with children experiencing a variety of mental health concerns, including internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and autism spectrum disorders. In addition to clinical care, the fellow will have professional development opportunities pertaining to program development/evaluation, education, research and advocacy in conjunction with the Child Health Advocacy Institute.
Research/Program Development Training:
Approximately 20% of the position can be devoted to protected time for program development, advocacy and/or research projects. Development and completion of independent projects is supported based on the interests of the fellow.
Didactics:
Supervision:
Interested fellows can provide umbrella supervision to psychology externs.
Additional Information:
Start date beginning between July-September 2024. The position will primarily be at Children's National Takoma Theatre, location in Washington, D.C. The position will also include telemedicine services. First year stipends are comparable to NIH standards plus benefits. The fellow will receive financial support to participate in national conferences.
Application Requirements:
- Completed APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral internship
- Completed all requirements for their Ph.D. or Psy.D. prior to beginning the position
- Candidates with previous clinical and research experiences working with early childhood populations are encouraged to apply
- Obtain Psychology Associate License in Maryland and the District of Columbia (will need to apply prior to start of fellowship)
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty, and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials via email to: Amanda Hastings, Psy.D., BCBA
- Letter of interest summarizing clinical/research interests and match of interest/fit
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation directly from your letter writers
Deadline for completed applications is December 1, 2023. Email Dr. Hastings to request later application date (latest acceptance of January 1, 2024). Interviews are expected to take place in January/February 2024 in a virtual format.
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Inpatient and Outpatient Mood Disorders Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The Inpatient and Outpatient Mood Disorders Postdoctoral Fellowship provides advanced clinical training in child psychology with an emphasis on mood disorders and acute short-term intervention. The fellowship is divided into two parts, with half of the time spent on our Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Units and half the time in the Outpatient Mood and Trauma Disorders Program. In addition to direct clinical care, there is time dedicated for supervision, administrative time, and pursuing other clinical, research and program development interests. As part of training, the fellow will also treat families as a part of our comprehensive outpatient Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program providing individual therapy, phone coaching, co-leading multifamily DBT groups (optional), and participating in our multidisciplinary consultation team.
Fellowship Structure:
The Inpatient Psychiatry Units are two psychiatric units for children and adolescents ages 5-17 who are deemed a danger to themselves or others for self-injury, suicidal behavior, severe aggression, psychosis, or difficulties with emotional and behavioral dysregulation. DBT is the primary mode of treatment implemented on the units. The average length of stay for patients is between 5-7 days. As part of the inpatient portion of the fellowship, the fellow will work closely with a multidisciplinary team (nursing, psychiatry, child life, expressive therapy, child psychiatric specialists and social work) and provide individual and group therapy services as well as crisis management.
The Mood and Trauma Disorders Program at Children's National provides outpatient services to children and adolescents with mood disorders (e.g., major depression, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder), and their families. Fellows will gain experience in assessment and treatment of mood disorders through individual, family and group therapy (optional). Additional fellowship opportunities include working with children with chronic medical illnesses and those exposed to trauma.
Our hospital serves a diverse population in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. The fellow will be able to participate in team meetings, collaborate with our psychiatry counterparts and potentially gain supervision experience with psychology externs. The fellow will also have opportunities to gain clinical and/or research exposure in other areas of general child clinical or pediatric psychology, if interested. Didactics are an important component of the fellowship program and will focus on topics related to DBT, mood disorders, anxiety, general clinical child psychology and professional development.
Research/Program Development Training:
Approximately 20% of the position can be devoted to protected time for program development, advocacy and/or research projects. Development and completion of independent projects is supported based on the interests of the fellow.
Didactics:
The fellowship includes participation in a monthly didactic series individualized to the needs of all psychology fellows across Children’s National. Topics include a focus on multiple aspects of professional development.
Supervision Experience:
Interested fellows can provide umbrella supervision to psychology externs.
Additional Information:
This is a one-year position with a flexible start date between August and mid-September 2024. The position will split time between Children’s National Main Hospital and the Children's National Takoma Theatre, both located in Washington, D.C. The position will also include telemedicine services. First-year stipends are comparable to NIH standards plus benefits. The fellow will receive financial support to participate in national conferences.
Application Requirements:
- Experience with evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy and DBT is preferred.
- Applicants should have training from APA- or CPA- accredited doctoral internship programs.
- Candidates with previous clinical experience working with mood disorders are encouraged to apply.
- Completed APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral internship.
- Completed all requirements for their Ph.D. or Psy.D. prior to beginning the position.
- Obtain Psychology Associate License in Maryland and the District of Columbia (will need prior to start of fellowship).
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty, and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials via email to: Deborah Zlotnik, Ph.D.
- Letter of interest summarizing clinical/research interests and match of interest/fit
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation can be sent by applicants.
Deadline for completed applications is December 1, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interviews are expected to take place in January/February 2024 in a virtual format. We look forward to reviewing your application!
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Pediatric Psychology Fellowships
Allergy and Immunology Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The Children’s National Division of Allergy and Immunology announces a clinical and research postdoctoral fellow for the 2024-2025 academic year. The Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children's National provides services to a diverse pediatric population who are diagnosed with food allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis, asthma, eczema, urticaria and primary immunodeficiency disorders and live throughout D.C., MD and VA. All clinical and research activities will be under the direct supervision of Linda Herbert, Ph.D and Tiffany Kichline, Ph.D. This is a one or two-year position with a summer 2024 start date. Annual salary and benefits are competitive.
Fellowship Structure:
Clinical Training: The fellow will receive training in a wide range of clinical services for this population including consultation-liaison services during oral food challenge and eosinophilic esophagitis clinics and outpatient therapy services for patients and their families. The primary mental health concerns addressed during outpatient therapy are anxiety and depressive symptoms related to food allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis, and primary immunodeficiency disorders, adherence to medical routines, needle phobia, and adjustment to new diagnosis. Therapy primarily includes medical psychoeducation and CBT and exposure techniques. Fellows may also engage in feeding therapy for anxiety related to food allergy or mild ARFID cases.
Research Training: The fellow will participate in a robust research program, including an NIH-funded clinical trial evaluating a behavioral intervention for adolescents with food allergy and an observational study pertaining to food allergy-related health disparities. Other research projects are conducted related to parent adjustment and intervention development. Opportunities exist for the fellow to initiate an independent research project, as well as work collaboratively on manuscripts, presentations, and grant writing within Children's National and with national and global partners.
Professional Development: General training within pediatric psychology will be provided through the training program in the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, including didactic opportunities (e.g., psychiatry grand rounds, divisional academic meetings, postdoctoral seminars, behavioral research meetings). The fellow will also participate in the Division of Allergy and Immunology’s Health Equity group and have opportunity to supervise psychology trainees.
Application Requirements:
- Applicants should have attended an APA-accredited graduate program in clinical, clinical-child, or health psychology
- Completed an APA-accredited doctoral internship
- Completed all requirements for their doctoral degree prior to beginning the position
- Obtain Psychology Associate License in Maryland and the District of Columbia (will need prior to start of fellowship)
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials to: Linda Herbert, Ph.D.
- Letter of interest describing relevant experience, fit with training program and career goals
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation sent directly from your letter writers
Deadline for applications is December 1, 2023. We look forward to your application!
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer.
Burn and Trauma Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The Psychology team associated with the Burn Surgery and Trauma Care teams at Children’s National Hospital anticipates 1 opening for a postdoctoral fellow for the 2024-2025 year. The fellow will join a cohort of 8-10 other fellows in the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health. The Burn and Trauma service at Children's National is a multidisciplinary program serving youth ages 0-18 and their families from acute inpatient care through rehabilitation. The psychology team specializes in supporting adjustment and coping, including providing trauma-focused psychological services. The position is a one-year fellowship with potential for a second-year advanced fellowship based on the matching interest of program and fellow interests.
Fellowship Structure:
Clinical Training: Approximately 50% of the position will be devoted to clinical activities in the multidisciplinary Burn and Trauma service. This work includes consultation/liaison services, brief outpatient brief assessment and intervention in interdisciplinary clinics, as well as outpatient individual, parent-focused, and group treatments. Training delivering Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will be provided.
Research/Program Development: Up to 50% of the position will be devoted to protected time for the fellow to participate in research and program development. The fellow will have the opportunity to contribute to academic products using data from preliminary studies of parent resilience after pediatric burn injury, a pilot intervention promoting for parent psychosocial health of young children after burn injuries, and clinical research data from systematic screening. The fellow will also have the opportunity to develop a project of their own. Opportunities for grant writing and publications are available and encouraged. Additionally, options exist for providing umbrella supervision of graduate student clinicians for fellows interested in developing teaching skills.
Didactics: Formal didactic opportunities include multidisciplinary burn rounds, clinical research meetings, as well as a Psychology Division Postdoctoral Fellow didactic series which focuses on professional development in a supportive environment of peers.
The fellowship is anticipated to begin between July and September 2025 (depending on need of fellow). Salary is commensurate with NIH guidelines and funding is provided for professional development activities (e.g., conference travel, clinical workshops).
Application Requirements:
- Applicants should have training from APA- accredited graduate program in clinical, clinical-child, pediatric or health psychology
- Candidates with prior clinical and research experience in pediatric behavioral medicine and/or trauma are encouraged to apply
- Completed APA-accredited internship
- Completed all requirements for their Ph.D. or Psy.D. prior to beginning the position
- Obtain Psychology Associate License in Maryland and the District of Columbia (will need prior to start of fellowship)
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials via email to: Carrie Tully, Ph.D.
- Cover letter describing relevant experience and interest
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation directly from your letter writers
Deadline for applications is December 1, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interviews are anticipated in December - February with a virtual option. Applications will be reviewed as received. We look forward to your application!
Please direct application materials using the subject line in the email, “Fellowship Application,” or any questions to:
Carrie Tully, Ph.D.
Pediatric Psychologist
Psychology and Behavioral Health
Trauma and Burn Surgery
Children’s National Hospital
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Celiac Disease Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The Children’s National Hospital Celiac Disease Program is recruiting candidates for a one-year, full time fellowship for the 2024-2025 academic year, with the option to extend for a second year. The Celiac Disease Program at CNH provides clinical care and research to children of all ages with celiac disease and their families. Established in 2017, the psychosocial health program is a unique resource to the celiac disease community and offers specialized clinical consultations and care, psychosocial research, and advocacy. All research and clinical activities will be supervised directly by Shayna Coburn, Ph.D. Start and end dates are flexible, and salary and benefits are competitive.
Fellowship Structure:
Clinical Training will comprise 50% of the position and will focus on outpatient consultations and interventions in the Celiac Disease Program’s weekly multidisciplinary clinic. The fellow will receive training in a range of clinical services including health and behavior consultations, brief interventions, and long-term therapy with a basis in cognitive behavioral approaches. Psychologists are integrated into clinic visits alongside a physician, nurse, dietitian and education specialist. Common psychosocial challenges in this population include anxiety, depression and behavioral problems in adjusting to the diagnosis, needle phobia, strained family relationships, poor adherence, and eating and feeding difficulties. Additional individual therapy appointments will be offered to patients in need of follow-up treatment, with in-person and telehealth options. Broader experiences in the Division of Gastroenterology may be available based on interest.
Research Training:
With 50% time devoted to research, the fellow will be an integrated member of a growing research program, including an NIH-funded clinical trial to evaluate a behavioral intervention for teens and their parents, the GROW Project (Gluten-Free Resilience and Overall Wellness). The fellow will serve as an interventionist for the study alongside other study team members and will assist with conducting interviews and assessments for data collection. Opportunities for training will include intervention delivery, telehealth-based research strategies, and qualitative and quantitative analyses. The fellow is encouraged to contribute to manuscripts, presentations, and grant-writing as well as pursue an independent research project based on interest, such as health disparities in screening and access to care, and risk and protective factors for emotional distress and nonadherence.
Professional Development:
The training program in the Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health provides didactic seminars for postdoctoral fellows and other optional meetings (e.g., psychiatry grand rounds, divisional academic meetings, behavioral research meetings). The fellow will also participate in the Celiac Disease Program’s clinic and lab meetings, including a journal club. Finally, fellows are encouraged to engage in supervision and mentorship of psychology trainees within the program.
Application Requirements:
- Training from APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral and internship programs
- Completed all requirements for their PhD or PsyD prior to beginning the position
- Obtain Psychology Associate License in Maryland and the District of Columbia
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty, and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply. Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
To Apply:
Send application materials to: Shayna Coburn, Ph.D. with the subject line "Fellowship Application"
- Letter of interest describing fellowship/career goals and fit with the position
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation sent directly from your letter writers
Deadline for applications is December 1, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we may continue reviewing applications until the position is filled. Interviews are anticipated in December – February with a virtual option. We look forward to reviewing your application!
Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The Children’s National Cancer and Blood Disorders Center anticipates 1 opening for a postdoctoral fellow in the Divisions of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) beginning August 2024.
Fellowship Structures:
The Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s National Hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services for children diagnosed with cancer or hematologic diseases and patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Children's National is ranked one of the top 10 children's hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Our Cancer and Blood Disorders Center sees 300+ new oncology diagnoses each year, and was ranked as the #5 pediatric cancer program in the United States. The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Program is one of largest in the country, caring for over 1,300 children and adolescents with sickle cell disease. This 1-year, clinical fellowship consists of training from four pediatric psychologists in inpatient consultation/liaison and outpatient therapy with pediatric populations, with an emphasis on cognitive-behavioral, acceptance and commitment, and family systems approaches. Primary training opportunities are listed below.
Clinical Training:
- Conducting initial consultations for patients newly diagnosed with cancer and their families.
- Providing follow-up interventions for patients receiving ongoing medical treatment.
- Implementing innovative psychosocial screening protocols and brief interventions for patients seen in various multidisciplinary clinics spanning oncology and BMT Long-term Follow-up Clinics as well as for patients receiving chronic blood transfusion therapy.
- Implementing a cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based treatment to enhance pain management in our Sickle Cell Disease Integrative Pain Clinic.
- Pre-transplant psychological assessments for patients preparing for stem cell transplant and gene therapy.
- Collaborating closely with a multidisciplinary team of 10+ medical and psychosocial disciplines to address the complex problems faced by patients and their families.
Research/Program Development: Research is available to fellows who are interested, but not required. Development and completion of independent research or program development projects is supported by a primary mentor and based on the interests of the fellow. Ongoing projects include pain assessments during hospitalizations, the impact of pain on school return following a hospitalization, neurocognitive and psychological effects of childhood cancer and sickle cell disease, cognitive rehabilitation, and evaluating factors affecting readiness for BMT.
Didactics: The fellowship includes weekly CBDC psychology didactics that cover various topics through a journal club, skill building workshops, diversity, equity, and inclusion lecture and case series, and group supervision. The fellow will have the opportunity to assume a leadership role in CBDC didactics and receive training in both theoretical and experiential approaches to clinical supervision. Other didactic opportunities include weekly CBDC multidisciplinary psychosocial rounds and monthly professional development meetings. The fellow can also participate in a Psychology Division Postdoctoral monthly didactic series that is individualized to the needs of all pediatric psychology fellows across Children’s National.
Supervision: Fellows provide formal and informal supervision to psychology externs. Formal supervision includes taking a lead role in our clinic for survivors of childhood cancer as well as our didactics and group supervision. Informal umbrella supervision about cases, team collaboration, patient care or otherwise occurs based on fellow interest.
The fellowship is anticipated to begin in August 2025; though, start date is negotiable. Salary is commensurate with NIH guidelines and funding is provided for professional development activities (e.g., conference travel, clinical workshops). Candidates with previous clinical and research experience in pediatric behavioral medicine are encouraged to apply.
Application Requirements:
- Attended an APA-accredited graduate program in clinical, clinical-child, or health psychology
- Completed an APA-accredited internship
- Completed all requirements for doctoral degree prior to beginning the fellowship position
To Apply:
Send application materials via email to: Dana Footer, Psy.D.
- Letter of interest describing relevant experience, fit with the training program, and career goals
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation directly from your letter writers
The deadline for applications is December 1, 2023.
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Pain Medicine Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Children’s National Hospital Pain Medicine Program anticipates 1 postdoctoral fellowship position in the Division of Anesthesiology for the 2024-2025 academic year. The Behavioral Pain Medicine Program at Children’s National is a multidisciplinary outpatient program specializing in the assessment and treatment of pediatric chronic pain conditions. The position is a one-year fellowship with potential for a second-year advanced fellowship based on the matching of program and fellow interests.
Fellowship Structure:
Clinical Training: Approximately 80% of the clinical position will be devoted to clinical activities in the multidisciplinary Chronic Pain Program. Evaluation and treatment across the program utilizes a multimodal rehabilitative approach that emphasizes behavioral, cognitive, parent training and acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions. Collaboration with schools is an integral piece of the programs.
Fellow will also participate in the Comfort Ability Program (CAP), an evidence-based parent and youth group to provide education about pain and teach pain management strategies for families. Fellow also has opportunities to participate in the CAP network with international partners.
Chronic Pain Program:
The fellow will have the opportunity to participate up to 1 day per week in the interdisciplinary Headache Clinic, working alongside neurology colleagues to provide interdisciplinary evaluations for youth experiencing persisting headaches or migraines. Opportunities also available to offer follow-ups to patients experiencing headaches.
The fellow will have the opportunity to participate up to 1 day per week in the interdisciplinary Concussion Clinic, working alongside neurology, neuropsychology, and physical therapy colleagues. Interdisciplinary evaluations and follow-up care are provided through the clinic.
Didactics: The fellowship includes participation in a monthly didactic series individualized to the needs of all pediatric psychology fellows across Children’s National. Topics include a focus on multiple aspects of professional development. Fellow also has opportunities to participate in diversity training initiatives with the Psychology Department.
Application Requirements:
- Completed APA-accredited internship
- Completed all requirements for their Ph.D., or Psy.D., prior to beginning the position
- Candidates with previous clinical and research experiences in pediatric behavioral medicine are encouraged to apply
Across Children’s National, there is a strong commitment to recruit, train, and retain trainees, faculty, and staff of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine. Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in academic medicine are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials via email to: Laura Gray, Ph.D.
- Letter of interest summarizing clinical/research interests and match of interest/fit
- Current curriculum vitae
- Three letters of recommendation directly from your recommenders
The deadline for applications is January 1, 2024. Interviews are expected to take place in January/February 2024 in a virtual format.
Children’s National is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to racial, cultural, gender and sexual orientation diversity.
Perinatal Mental Health and Prenatal Pediatrics Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The Developing Brain Institute (DBI) at Children’s National Hospital is currently accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship for the 2024-2025 training year in the area of Perinatal Mental Health, with one of the two available positions to be focused specifically on Latina Perinatal Mental Health. This clinical fellowship experience will include patient care, program development, clinical applied research, and advocacy efforts related to the needs of patients seen via the Zickler Family Prenatal Pediatrics Institute (PPI), the DC Mother-Baby Wellness (DCMBW) Program, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As part of clinical care, fellows will attend and participate in regular multidisciplinary team meetings, collaborate with colleagues across multiple medical subspecialties, and support patients longitudinally across inpatient and outpatient contexts. The fellow will be located on-site at the main hospital campus in Washington, D.C.
Primary responsibilities include the following:
- Clinical Assessment and Intervention: Fellows will conduct comprehensive assessments and provide psychotherapeutic interventions to support individuals experiencing perinatal mental health challenges. This can include individual therapy, dyadic therapy, and support groups.
- Research and Program Development: Fellows may have the opportunity to engage in a range of active research projects related to perinatal mental health. They may also contribute to the development and enhancement of perinatal mental health programs and services within the Developing Brain Institute.
- Supervision and Training: Fellows will be supervised by psychologists with expertise in perinatal mental health. Fellows will also take part in didactic trainings for pediatric psychology fellows across Children’s National, along with didactics and collaborations focused on perinatal mental health within Children’s National and across the D.C. area. Fellows will be supported in receiving advanced training in perinatal mental health, which will allow for eventual PMH-C certification, if desired. Opportunities for training in Perinatal-specific Interpersonal Therapy, and dyadic therapy approaches are also available.
More information about the departments the fellows will be working across is provided below:
- The Prenatal Pediatrics Institute (PPI) provides advanced diagnostic imaging and multidisciplinary care for pregnant individuals and families who have received a prenatal diagnosis of a complex fetal medical condition, including genetic conditions, neurologic conditions, and/or cardiac conditions. On the PPI rotation, fellows will participate in screening and intervention to support patients and families navigating significant stress and uncertainty during pregnancy, including patients whose infants are treated in the Children’s National Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and/or Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), patients who terminate their pregnancies, and patients pursuing perinatal palliative care.
- The DC Mother-Baby Wellness Program is an innovative, collaborative community perinatal mental health program involving sites across the D.C. metro area. On the DCMBW rotation, the fellow will work with the multi-disciplinary clinical team to provide longitudinal screening, assessment, and treatment of perinatal women. This will include carrying cases referred from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at CNH.
Additional information about the fellowship in Latina Perinatal Mental Health is provided below:
- Cultural Competency: Fellows will develop a deep understanding of the factors, traditions, and beliefs that influence the mental health of Spanish-speaking Latina mothers in the U.S. and will utilize cultural formulation tools to provide client-centered, culturally humble care.
- Research: Fellows will have the opportunity to engage in research specifically focused on perinatal mental health among Latina populations, including an active project training community health workers in Guatemala to provide a manualized, CBT-based perinatal psychosocial support program called Pensamiento Saludable.
- Supervision and Training: The fellow will receive supervision in Spanish from a bilingual psychologist with expertise in the field of perinatal mental health.
The fellowship is a one-year position to start August 2024, with potential for a second year based on fellow and program agreement. Salary is commensurate with NIH guidelines, and includes funding for professional development activities (e.g., conference attendance).
All applicants should have attended an APA-accredited doctoral and internship program. Preferred qualifications include previous experience with pediatric/health psychology, perinatal mental health, and/or relevant treatments (with an emphasis on CBT, IPT, and/or ACT). Applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
Send application materials via email to: Brie Kohrt, Ph.D., Ellen Bartolini, Psy.D., and Tracy Vozar, Ph.D.
- Letter of interest describing relevant experience and career goals
- Current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation
- For applicants to the Latina Perinatal Mental Health position, advanced proficiency in Spanish is required. If you have previously taken a Spanish language competency exam, please include a copy of this. If not, this can be conducted during the interview process.
Questions about the fellowship can be directed to Drs. Kohrt, Bartolini and Vozar. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.