MIRECC / CoE

Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center Advanced Fellowship Program in
Mental Illness Research and Treatment

The Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at VA Palo Alto and San Francisco VA Health Care System are now accepting applications for a two-year Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (see emphasis areas and contacts below). 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 and the University of California San Francisco. 

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.

Requirements

Physicians

MD applicants must have completed ACGME-accredited training, be board eligible or board certified, and have an active, unrestricted U.S. license to practice. International medical graduates must also have a current visa and an ECFMG certificate that is valid indefinitely. Applicants on a J-1 visa must also have current ECFMG sponsorship.

Psychologists and Allied Health Professionals

Eligible psychologists and allied health professionals much be U.S. citizen. Psychologists must have received a doctorate from an APA or CPA accredited graduate program in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined Psychology or PCSAS accredited Clinical Science program. People with a doctorate in another area of psychology who meet the APA or CPA criteria for respecialization training in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined Psychology are also eligible. Applicants must have also completed an APA or CPA accredited psychology internship program. 

Applications

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the POCs listed below.

Sierra Pacific MIRECC Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment: Palo Alto Site

APA Accredited Clinical Psychology Fellowship
Name: Kaci Fairchild, PhD, ABPP
Email: JenniferKaci.Fairchild@va.gov

Name: Michelle Madore, PhD
Email: Michelle.Madore@va.gov

• Further information about the APA-accredited Clinical Psychology fellowship can be found here.

Data Science Fellowship
Name: Kaci Fairchild, PhD, ABPP
Email: JenniferKaci.Fairchild@va.gov

Name: Michelle Madore, PhD
Email: Michelle.Madore@va.gov

• Further information about the Data Science fellowship can be found here.

MD Fellowship
Michael Ostacher, MD
Email: Michael.Ostacher@va.gov

Laura Hack, MD
Email: Laura.Hack@va.gov

• Further information about the MD fellowship can be found by contacting Drs. Ostacher and Hack.

Sierra Pacific MIRECC Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment: San Francisco Site

General Inquiries
Susanna Fryer, PhD
Email: Susanna.Fryer2@va.gov

Data Science Fellowship
Daniel Mathalon, PhD, MD
Email:  Daniel.mathalon@va.gov

• Further information on the fellowship in Data Science can be found at https://psych.ucsf.edu/research/fellowships/data

Dementia/Gero and NeuroPsychiatry
Kristine Yaffe, MD
Email: Kristine.Yaffe@va.gov

• Further information on the fellowship in Dementia/Gero and NeuroPsychiatry can be found at https://psych.ucsf.edu/research/fellowships/dementia

Geropsychology/Neuropsychology Fellowship
R. Scott Mackin, PhD
Email: Scott.Mackin@va.gov

• Further information on the fellowship in Geropsychology/Neuropsychology can be found by contacting Dr. Mackin.

PTSD / Trauma Fellowship
Shira Maguen, PhD
Email: Shira.Maguen@va.gov

Tom Neylan, MD
Email: Thomas.Neylan@va.gov

• Further information on fellowship in PTSD/Trauma can be found at https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/research/fellowships/trauma

Schizophrenia
Judith Ford, PhD
Email: Judith.Ford@va.gov

• Further information on fellowship in Schizophrenia can be found at https://psych.ucsf.edu/research/fellowships/schizophrenia