MIRECC / CoE
MIRECC/CoE VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment
VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment
Updated: 06 April 2023
Fellowship Overview and Announcements
Fellowship Overview
The VA Office of Academic Affiliations is offering the VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at 28 VA sites through MIRECC (Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center), SMITREC (Serious Mental Illness Treatment, Research, and Evaluation Center), NCPTSD (National Center for PTSD), CIH (Centers for Integrated Healthcare) and COEs (Centers of Excellence). Specific Sites are listed on the tabs MIRECC contacts and COE contacts. VISN links take you to the homepage of the VISN. Other links in the lists let you jump to director information for that site.
These sites participate in the program. All sites in our program strive to foster a climate of cultural humility and inclusivity. Fellowship sites are committed to a professional environment that is positive, respectful, and supportive of cultural and individual differences and value the wide range of diversity and intersectionality represented by our Faculty and Fellows. Each year, one MD Fellow from psychiatry, neurology, radiology, internal medicine, or other areas of medicine and one Allied Health Fellow from clinical psychology, counseling psychology, social work, nursing or pharmacy are accepted at each site. The VISN 21 MIRECC serves as the national coordinating center for the program, directed by Sherry A. Beaudreau, Ph.D., ABPP.
The primary goal of the fellowship program is to train MDs, psychologists and other allied health professionals to become leading clinical researchers in high priority areas of mental health. 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.
A special emphasis of the fellowship program is to train fellows to conduct translational research that brings basic science to clinical practice. For example, fellows learn how genetic factors are linked to clinical outcomes and how innovative research methodologies yield more clinically relevant information.
One highly successful aspect of training has been the videoconference seminar series. Twice a month a leading expert in the field presents to fellows at all sites through the video conferencing system. The didactic emphasize two main areas. One includes presentations on all aspects of career development from grant and manuscript preparation to the role of mentorship. The second emphasis is on the most recent advances in conducting specific components of clinical research in mental health, from genetics to designing the best interventions.
There is also a strong emphasis on state-of-the-art methodological approaches to mental health research and practice. Seminar topics last year included VA career development, funding and resources, behavioral genetics, health informatics, and designing clinical trials of behavioral therapies. Past seminars have featured presentations on funding mechanisms and career development awards by Theresa Gleason, Ph.D., from VA R&D, Jovier Evans, Ph.D., from the NIMH, and Molly Wagster, M.D., from the NIA.
Additional twice monthly multi-site videoconference workshops on manuscript and grant preparation are also provided to the Fellows in addition to ongoing weekly biostatistical consultation through the coordinating center.
For more information about the fellowship program, contact us by email at sherry.beaudreau@va.gov.
Fellowship Program Announcement
The Office of Academic Affiliations, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), announces its two-year, post residency, specialized training program in Advanced Mental Illness Research and Treatment at 28 VA sites through MIRECC, SMITREC, NCPTSD, and COE located across the country. This is an interdisciplinary program that aims to train MDs, psychologists and other allied health professionals to become outstanding clinical researchers in high priority areas of mental health research and practice. Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
The program combines individualized, mentored research and clinical training with a state-of-the-art curriculum that emphasizes research methods; statistics; epidemiology; mental health systems; quality improvement methods; education and service delivery. Each site is affiliated with a MIRECC, SMITREC, NCPTSD, or COE, and an affiliate academic institution. Fellowship sites are linked electronically for didactic, academic, and research efforts.
Fellows devote 75% time to research and educational activities and 25% to clinical training. 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 to meet the needs of diverse Veterans.
Requirements and Application
Requirements
- MDs
- 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.
Stipends will be based on years of previously completed residency training accredited by the Accrediting Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and index rates approved at the respective VA facility and affiliated university. - Allied Health Professionals
- Eligible psychologists and allied health professionals must be U.S. citizens. Psychologists must have graduated from an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology. Completion of an APA accredited internship in clinical or counseling psychology also is required.
Allied health professionals must have graduated from an APA accredited doctoral program. For the eligibility requirements for other Allied Health disciplines, please contact sherry.beaudreau@va.gov
Stipend rates are currently $48,334 to $56,519 per annum for the first year of the program with a stipend increase in the second year. These stipends are reviewed biannually and are adjusted according to rates paid by comparable non-VA postdoctoral fellowship programs.
Applications
Interested MDs, psychologists, and allied health professionals who meet the eligibility requirements should send a cover letter and curriculum vita to the MIRECC, SMITREC, NCPTSD, or COE Fellowship site/s of their choice.
The VA Office of Academic Affiliations has more information at https://www.va.gov/OAA/Advanced_Fellowships/Fellowship_Overview.asp. Towards the bottom of that page click on: Nomination, Submission, and Application Instructions for VA Advanced Fellowships in Mental Illness Research and Education (Advanced Psychiatry and Psychology).
MIRECC/CoE Contacts
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT (VISN 1)/
Yale University School of Medicine - VISN 1 MIRECC
- Suzanne Decker PhD
Phone: 203-932-5711 x 3153
Email: Suzanne.Decker@va.gov
Mehmet Sofuoglu MD
Phone: 203-932-5711 x4809
Email: Mehmet.Sofuoglu@va.gov - National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD)
- Steven Southwick MD
Phone: 203-932-5711 x2464
Email: Steven.Southwick@va.gov - Ilan Harpaz-Rotem PhD
Phone: 203-932-5711 x8642
Email: Ilan.Harpaz-Rotem@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA (VISN 1)/
University of Massachusetts Medical School - VISN 1 New England MIRECC
- Megan Kelly PhD
Phone: 781-687-3317
Email: Megan.Kelly1@va.gov - Victoria Ameral PhD
Phone: 781-687-3015
Email: Victoria.Ameral@va.gov - Dongchan Park MD
Phone: 781-687-4564
Email: Dongchan.Park@va.gov - Chris Streeter MD
Phone: 781-687-2580
Email: streeter@bu.edu - VA Western New York Healthcare System at Buffalo, NY (VISN 2 )/
State University of New York at Bufffao - VISN 2 Center for Integrated Healthcare
- Paul King PhD
Phone: 716 862-6038
Email: Paul.King2@va.gov - Return to Top
- Canandaigua VA Medical Center, NY (VISN 2 )/
University of Rochester Medical Center - VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention
- Stephanie Gamble PhD
Phone: 585-369-7320
Email: stephanie.gamble@va.gov - Todd Bishop PhD
Phone: 585-393-7126
Email: Todd.Bishop@va.gov - Susan Gillespie MD
Phone: 585-393-7763
Email: Suzanne.Gillespie@va.gov - Return to Top
- James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY (VISN 2 )/
Mount Sinai School of Medicine - VISN 2 New York/New Jersey MIRECC
- Chi Chan PhD
Email: chi.chan@mssm.edu - Return to Top
- Philadelphia VA Medical Center (VISN 4)
University of Pennsylvania - VISN 4 MIRECC Fellowship Website
- Henry Kranzler, M.D.
Phone: (215) 386-6662
Email: Henry.Kranzler@va.gov - Steven Sayers, Ph.D.
Phone: (215) 823-5196
Email: Steven.Sayers@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, PA (VISN 4)/
University of Pittsburgh - VISN 4 Pittsburgh MIRECC Fellowship Website
- Gretchen L. Haas, Ph.D.
Phone: (412) 360-2662
Email: gretchen.haas@va.gov - Adam Bramoweth PhD
Phone: 412-360-2806
Email: Adam.Bramoweth@va.gov - David Volk MD PhD
Phone: 412-648-9617
Email: David.Volk@va.gov - Isabella Soreca MD
Email: sorecai@upmc.edu - Return to Top
- VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD (VISN 5 )/
University of Maryland - VISN 5 Capitol MIRECC
- Melanie Bennett, Ph.D.
Phone: (410) 637-1852
Email: Melanie.Bennett@va.gov - Beth Klingaman PhD
Phone: (410) 637-1875
Email: elizabeth.klingaman@va.gov - Return to Top
- Durham VA Medical Center, NC (VISN 6 )/
Duke University School of Medicine - VISN 6 Mid-Atlantic MIRECC
- Patrick Calhoun, Ph.D.
Phone: (919) 286-0411 x7970
Email: Patrick.Calhoun2@va.gov - Christine Marx, M.D.
Phone: (919) 286-0411 x5112
Email: Christine.Marx@va.gov - Return to Top
- Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, VA (VISN 6 )/
Virginia Commonwealth University - VISN 6 Mid-Atlantic MIRECC
- Scott McDonald, Ph.D.
Phone: (804) 675-5000 x3633
Email: Scott.McDonald@va.gov - Return to Top
- W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center, Salisbury, NC (VISN 6 )/
Wake Forest School of Medicine - VISN 6 Mid-Atlantic MIRECC
- Robert Shura PhD
Phone: 704-638-9000 x-3175
Email: Robert.Shura2@va.gov - Holly Miskey PhD
Email: Holly.Miskey@va.gov - Robin A. Hurley, M.D., FANPA
Email: Robin.Hurley@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, MI (VISN 11 )/
University of Michgan, Ann Arbor - VISN 11 Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center
- Nicholas Bowersox PhD
Phone: 734-222-7447
Email: Nicholas.Bowersox@va.gov - Paul Pfeiffer MD
Phone: 734-845-3649
Email: Pfeiff@med.umich.edu - Rebecca Sripada PhD
Phone: 734-222-7432
Email: rekaufma@med.umich.edu - Return to Top
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX(VISN 16 )/
Baylor College of Medicine - VISN 16 South Central MIRECC/Houston Fellowship Website
- Natalie Hundt, Ph.D.
Phone: 713-791-1414 x10315
Email: Natalie.Hundt@va.gov - Mark Kunik, M.D.
Phone: 713-794-8639
Email: kunik.marke@va.gov - Return to Top
- Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR (VISN 16 )/
University of Arkansas Medical School - VISN 16 South Central MIRECC / Little Rock Fellowship Website
- Michael A. Cucciare, Ph.D.
Email:Michael.Cucciare@va.gov - Sara Landes PhD
Phone: 501-257-3385
Email: Sara.Landes@va.gov - Erica Hiett MD
Phone: 501-257-5300
Email: Erica.Hiett1@va.gov - Return to Top
- Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, Waco, TX (VISN 17)/
Texas A&M College of Medicine - Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans
- Richard Seim PhD
Phone: 254-297-5170
Email: richard.seim@va.gov - Laura Zambrano-Vazquez PhD
Phone: 254-297-5154
Email: laura.zambrano-vazquez@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO (VISN 19 )/
University of Colorado, Denver - VISN 19 Rocky Mountain MIRECC - Denver Fellowship Website
- Edgar Villarreal PhD
Phone: 720-723-6476
Email: Edgar.Villarreal@va.gov - Hal Wortzel, M.D.
Phone: (303) 399-8020 x5644
Email: Hal.Wortzel@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, UT (VISN 19 )/
University of Utah School of Medicine - VISN 19 Rocky Mountain MIRECC / Salt Lake City Psychology Fellowship Website
- Erin McGlade, Ph.D.
Phone: (801) 587-1412
Email: Erin.McGlade@va.gov - Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, Ph.D.
Phone: (801) 582-1565 x2707
Email: Deborah.YurgelunTodd@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Portland Healthcare System, OR (VISN 20 )/
Oregon Health Sciences University - VISN 20 Northwest MIRECC
- James Boehnlein, M.D.
Phone: (503) 220-8262 x56200
Email: james.boehnlein@va.gov - Ruth Ann Tskuda, Ed.D., MPH, R.N.
Phone: (503) 273-5227
Email: Ruth.Tskuda@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA (VISN 20 )/
University of Washington School of Medicine - VISN 20 Northwest MIRECC
- Elaine Peskind, M.D.
Phone: (206) 277-3965
Email: Elaine.Peskind@va.gov - Tracy Simpson, Ph.D.
Phone: (206) 277-3337
Email: tracy.simpson@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, CA (VISN 21)/
Stanford University School of Medicine - VISN 21 Sierra Pacific MIRECC
- Jennifer Kaci Fairchild, Ph.D.
Phone: (650) 493-5000 x63432
Email: JenniferKaci.Fairchild@va.gov - Michelle Madore PhD
Phone: 650.493.5000 x64221
Email: Michelle.Madore@va.gov - Michael Ostacher, M.D.
Phone: 650-849-0494
Email: Michael.Ostacher@va.gov - Makoto Kawai MD
Email: mkawai71@stanford.edu - Return to Top
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA (VISN 21)/
Stanford University School of Medicine - National Center for PTSD
- Sarra Nazem PhD
Phone: 650-614-9997 x25909
Email: Sarra.Nazem@va.gov - Steven Lindley MD, PhD
Phone: (650) 493-5000 X 2-25189
Email: Steven.Lindley@va.gov - Return to Top
- San Francisco VA Healthcare System, CA (VISN 21 )/
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine - VISN 21 Sierra Pacific MIRECC
- Kaela Joseph PhD
Phone: 415-221-4810 x23956
Email: Kaela.Joseph@va.gov - Brian Borsari PhD
Phone: 415-221-4810 x6344
Email: Brian.Borsari@va.gov - Tom Neylan MD
Email: Thomas.Neylan@va.gov - Kristine Yaffe MD
Phone: 415-221-4810 x3790
Email: kristine.yaffe@va.gov - Shira Maguen PhD
Phone: 415-221-4810 x2511
Email: Shira.Maguen@va.gov - Judith Ford PhD
Phone: (415) 221-4810 x4187
Email: Judith.Ford@va.gov - R. Scott Makin PhD
Phone: 415-221-4810 x22463
Email: Scott.Mackin@va.gov - Return to Top
- West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, CA (VISN 22 )/
University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine - VISN 22 Desert Pacific MIRECC
- Michael Green PhD
Email: mgreen@ucla.edu - Robert Kern PhD
Email: rkern@ucla.edu - Stephen Marder MD
Phone: (310) 268-3647
Email: Stephen.Marder@va.gov - Alexander Young MD
Phone: 310-268-3416
Email: Alexander.Young@va.gov - Return to Top
- VA San Diego Health Care System (VISN 22 )/
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine - VISN 22 Desert Pacific MIRECC
- Gregory Light PhD
Phone: (858) 552-8585 x2517
Email: Gregory.Light@va.gov - Barton Palmer PhD
Phone: (858) 246-0765
Email: bpalmer@ucsd.edu - Return to Top
- VA San Diego Health Care System (VISN 22 )/
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine - VISN 22 Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (CESAMH)
- Laurie Lindamer PhD
Phone: (858) 642-3870
Email: Laurie.Lindamer@va.gov - Dewleen Baker MD
Phone: (858) 552-8585 x2230
Email: Dewleen.Baker@va.gov - Return to Top
