Postdoctoral Fellowships in Implementation Research in Mental Health and Substance Abuse 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 impact the needs of 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 new partnership with Penn’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), postdoctoral trainees also have the opportunity to 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 and projects funded through our NIMH-funded ALACRITY Center (P50), they are available to all postdocs in our center, in consultation with their primary mentors.

We have up to 4 fellowship positions available through two different tracks. Please specify which track you are applying to in your cover letter. You may indicate more than one track in your cover letter. If you have questions about the tracks, please reach out to Rinad Beidas, PhD, Director of Implementation Research (rbeidas@upenn.edu). 

Track 1 (T32): Two positions are available through our 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. The primary responsibility of the T32 fellow is to develop an independent research agenda.

Track 2 (Project postdocs): Up to two positions are available through our portfolio of NIMH funded projects, including a P50 on the intersection of behavioral economics, participatory design, and implementation science (PIs: Rinad Beidas, PhD; David Mandell, ScD; and Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD). The primary responsibility of project fellows are to assist with the scientific administration of these projects; as well as develop their own independent research agenda.

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

  • Develop an individualized research program under the mentorship from a core faculty member and secondary mentorship from other faculty in the broader Penn community. This includes opportunities to engage in both primary data collection and secondary data analysis
  • Participate in coursework specific to the fellow’s individualized needs assessment
  • Interact with community partners from the city and state level 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 travel budget annually for professional development and networking
  • For more details on CMH faculty, resources, and projects, visithttps://www.med.upenn.edu/cmh/.

Appointment: Summer or fall, 2020.

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. Past applicants have come from both qualitative and quantitative backgrounds in disciplines such as clinical psychology, school psychology, community psychology, social work, public health and anthropology. Both recent graduates as well as those seeking to enhance their skills in new areas are welcome to apply. We encourage applications with interests in digital health, integrated behavioral health care, substance abuse, global mental health, or behavioral economics. Stipends vary with experience.

Applications: Please submit your application by October 15th, 2019 for full consideration:https://forms.gle/onjRc6zfqSPKsYJs6. You will be asked to provide demographic information, brief academic history, your CV, cover letter, up to 3 published manuscripts and/or writing samples, and the names and emails of three references.