The VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at VA Connecticut offers individualized, mentored clinical research and clinical training in two high priority emphasis areas— substance use disorders and dual diagnosis (SUD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These emphasis areas are supported through two major VA research infrastructures: the Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and the National Center for PTSD (NC-PTSD) Clinical Neurosciences Division. Each year, the fellowship recruits two psychology fellows for a two-year Fellowship, one in SUD/dual diagnosis at the MIRECC and one in PTSD at the NC-PTSD.
Full brochure available at
https://www.va.gov/connecticut-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/
Applications are due 11/27/2023. See brochure for details.
VA and Yale provide a collaborative research environment. Fellows develop individualized research plans with an appointed VA/Yale primary research mentor. A primary research mentor meets weekly with the fellow to establish and supervise the fellow’s training plan. In addition to the primary research mentor, Fellows also work with any number of other collaborating faculty. Typically Fellows write manuscripts with their primary research mentor and with collaborating faculty, and develop their own research project with input from the primary research mentor. Many Fellows write a training grant to fund a subsequent 2-5 years of mentored research, such as a national or regional VA career development award or NIH K award. Our site has a strong track record: 50% of the regional Veterans Integrated Service Network career development awards funded in 2021 were awarded to VA Connecticut trainees.
PRIMARY MENTORS at the MIRECC: Areas of expertise at the Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) include medication development and testing for nicotine and cocaine addictions, e-cigarettes, sex differences in tobacco use, and genetics research (Mehmet Sofuoglu, MD, PhD); motivational interviewing, SBIRT, and implementation science (Steve Martino, PhD); social determinants of health and addiction (Marc Rosen, MD); pharmacotherapy and other treatments for PTSD and SUD (Ismene Petrakis, MD); ecological momentary assessment, chronic pain, opioid use disorder (R. Ross MacLean, PhD); suicidal ideation and behavior and effectiveness and implementation of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills groups (Suzanne Decker, PhD); epidemiological and program evaluation research, system and program performance monitoring and performance metrics, and mental health informatics (Rani Hoff, MPH, PhD); trauma-focused treatment for comorbid PTSD and SUD and treatment engagement and retention among individuals with psychiatric comorbidities (Sarah Meshberg-Cohen, PhD).
PRIMARY MENTORS at the NCPTSD: Areas of expertise at the Clinical Neurosciences Division of NC-PTSD include psychosocial and genetic epidemiology of PTSD and related disorders (Robert Pietrzak, PhD); decision making, learning, aging, PTSD, neuroimaging (Ifat Levy, PhD); receptor imaging, PET, fMRI, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, cognition (Irina Esterlis, PhD); treatment and neurobiology of stress related disorders (Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, PhD; see www.ptsdstresslab.org); genetic of psychiatric illness, including PTSD, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, with both molecular level studies (genetic polymorphism, sequence variation) and population genetics methods (Joel Gelernter, MD); pharmacotherapy for PTSD and SUD and other substance use disorder (Ismene Petrakis, MD).
COLLABORATING FACULTY available to work with fellows on either track include those listed above, as well as those with expertise in gambling, compulsive sexual, binge-eating, internet-use and impulsive or risk-taking behaviors (Marc Potenza, MD, PhD); ketamine (John Krystal, MD); engagement in PTSD treatment, and PTSD and sleep (Jason DeViva, PhD); sex differences in intersection of substance use and stress-related disorders (Mackenzie Peltier, PhD); sociodemographic variables and treatment outcomes, particularly racial health disparities (Minnah Farook, PhD); intersection of cannabis use and psychosis; metacognition; neurocognition; simultaneous MEG/EEG (Ashley Martin, PhD).
All faculty have websites with details about their interests at https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/people/ We encourage potential applicants to peruse faculty websites to find matches for their specific research interests, and to contact potential mentors directly with any specific questions about potential projects or available datasets. Please contact the relevant Fellowship Director with additional questions about mentorship.
Start dates are set between 7/1/2024 and 9/1/2024 to permit fellows to complete any previous training before starting this position.