APPIC

Member Site Information

APPIC Member Number:	9121
Program Type:	Post Doctoral
Membership Type:	Full Membership
Site:	VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Department:	Sierra Pacific MIRECC
Address:	VAPAHCS MIRECC (151Y) 3801 Miranda Ave Palo Alto, California 94304
Country:	United States
Metro Area:	Not Applicable San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Distance from Major City:	50 south of San Francisco
Phone:	650-493-5000x63432
Fax:	650-852-3297
Training Director Email:	JKaci@stanford.edu
Co-Training Director Email:
Web Address:	http://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn21/
Brochure Website's Address:
Primary Agency Type:	Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Additional Agency Types:	Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Member of APPIC since:	2014

Accreditation

APA Accreditation	Accredited
CPA Accreditation	Not Accredited

Postdoctoral Staff/Faculty Information

Training Director:	Kaci Fairchild
Chief Psychologist:	Jeanette Hsu
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty	32
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty	0
Number of Non-Psychologist Staff/Faculty who Supervise Post-docs	8

Position Information

Start Date:	08/09/2027

	Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class:	1
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class:	0

	Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class:	67480
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class:	0

Fringe Benefits:	Health Insurance, Licensing Exam Release Time, Life Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above):

Brief description of the typical work day for a postdoc at this training site

Does this site have practicum psychology students on site?	Yes
Doctoral Psychology Practicum Students	Yes
Masters Psychology Practicum Students	No
Do Psychology Interns/Postdocs Have the Opportunity to Supervise Practicum Students?	Yes

Is this program fully affiliated with one or more doctoral programs?	No

Is this program partially affiliated with one or more doctoral programs?	No

Postdoctoral Application Process

Application Due Date:	11/20/2026 11:59 PM EST
How to obtain application info:	Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program:	Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs:
The program uses the APPA Centralized Application Service:	No
A Virtual Interview is:	Required
Interview notification date:	11/23/2026
Tentative interview date:	12/1/2026, 12/2/2026, 12/8/2026, 12/9/2026
Interview process description:	The Sierra Pacific MIRECC will only hold virtual interviews in 2026. Interviews are scheduled for a full day and will include meetings with the Director and Co-Director of Training, Selection Committee members, research mentors, and current fellows. We will try to accommodate requests for meetings with specific staff, and interviewees are encouraged to contact faculty or current residents whom they were not able to meet.

Postdoctoral Applicant Requirements

US Citizenship Required:	Yes
If NOT a U.S. Citizen, Authorization to Work in the US is Required	No
Canadian Citizenship Required:	No
If NOT a Canadian Citizen, Authorization to Work in Canada is Required:	No
This institution, department, internship, or postdoctoral program requires trainees to sign a statement about personal behavior and/or religious beliefs as a condition of admission and/or retention in the program:	No
How to obtain text of statement:	https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn21/fellowship.asp

Program Description

The Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at VA Palo Alto is now accepting applications for a two-year Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. The Mission of the Sierra Pacific MIRECC is to build an integrated system of clinical, research, and educational efforts designed to improve VA care for aging Veterans with dementia and mental health comorbidities both in VISN 21 and system wide. Veterans’ military experience and lifestyle substantially increases their vulnerability for dementia for many reasons. Our approach is to identify relevant risk factors in these aging Veterans, then develop and implement novel countermeasures. Our strong translational research programs develop targeted evidence-based programs that slow decline. The need is increasingly important as Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans grow older and more susceptible to cognitive impairment and mental health comorbidities. In support of this mission, the Sierra Pacific MIRECC provides specialized training in aging, dementia, and mental health comorbidities.

The primary goal of the Fellowship is to train health MDs, psychologists, and other allied health professionals to become independent clinical researchers in high priority areas of mental health care. Over the course of the two-year program, fellows are trained in academic and health systems research, advanced clinical care service delivery, and program administration in an interdisciplinary setting. The fellowship combines individual mentored research and clinical training with state-of-the-art educational experiences.

Fellows devote most of their time to patient-oriented research and educational activities and 25% to service activities (e.g., clinical care, healthcare delivery improvement project). In collaboration with their mentors, Fellows will develop and implement a research project, publish, and present findings, participate in grant writing, and utilize the latest technology for educational activities and clinical service delivery. The Sierra Pacific MIRECC is formally affiliated with Stanford University School of Medicine.

The Sierra Pacific MIRECC Fellowship is one of 28 sites in the VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment, which is sponsored by the Office of Academic Affiliations. Congress established the MIRECCs and CoEs (Centers of Excellence) to research the causes and treatments of mental illness as well as to disseminate new knowledge for implementation into VA clinical care. See more at http://www.mirecc.va.gov/index.asp.

Postdoctoral Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children:
Adolescents:
Adults:	Yes
Family:
Older Adults:	Yes
Inpatients:	Yes
Outpatients:	Yes
LGBTQ+:
Ethnic minorities:	Yes
Spanish-speaking:
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students:
International Students:
Rural:
Urban:
Low income:	Yes
People without housing:	Yes
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Treatment Modalities
Assessment:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Individual Therapy:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Couples Therapy:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Family Therapy:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Group Therapy:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Community Intervention:
Consultation/Liaison:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Crisis Intervention:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Brief Psychotherapy:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Long-term Psychotherapy:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Cognitive Rehabilitation:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Primary Care:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidenced Based Practice:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidence Based Research:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Supervision of Practicum students :	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Women's Health:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders:
Sexual Disorders:
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:	Experience (21% to 30%)
Physical Disabilities:	Exposure (1% to 20%)
Learning Disabilities:
Developmental Disabilities:
Assessment:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Anxiety Disorders:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Trauma/PTSD:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Abuse:
Substance Use Disorders:	Experience (21% to 30%)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy:
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Supervision:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Research:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Administration:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Integrated health care - primary:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Integrated health care - specialty:	Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Other:

Additional information about training opportunities: Not all rotations or training experiences may be available as described in the APPIC Directory. Please consult the program's application materials or their website at: http://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn21/ for a complete description of the training opportunities available at this training site. IF the site has not updated their information by August 1, feel free to contact the Training Director for additional information.

Summary of the Characteristics of the Specified Postdoctoral Class

	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024	2024-2025	2025-2026	2026-2027
Number of Completed Applications:	9	8	10	4	4	9	5	6	4	4

Where did Former Postdoctoral Fellows Go (1st Placement)?

	2022-2023	2023-2024	2024-2025	2025-2026
Total Number of post-docs:	4	4	4	3
Still a Postdoctoral Fellow:	3	4	3	2
Academic teaching:		0	0	0
Community mental health center:	0	0	0	0
Consortium:	0	0	0	0
University Counseling Center:	0	0	0	0
Hospital/Medical Center:	0	0	0	0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System:	0	0	0	0
Psychiatric facility:	0	0	0	0
Correctional facility:	0	0	0	0
Health Maintenance Organization:	0	0	0	0
School district/system:	0	0	0	0
Independent practice setting:	0	0	0	0
Other (Academic Psychology Department):	0	0	0	0
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data:		https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn21/

Department : Sierra Pacific MIRECC

Populations

Treatment Modalities

Experience