VA Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment

VA Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (MIRT)

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN 20) Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (NW MIRECC), located on the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC) campus, part of the VA Portland Healthcare System (VAPORHCS), is home to a postdoctoral fellowship that is part of VA's Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (MIRT). VA's teaching mission and clinical learning environment prepare the next generation of health professionals. The NW MIRECC research center located at VAPORHCS is affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). Over the course of the two-year program, fellows are trained in clinical and health systems research, advanced clinical care service delivery, and program administration in an interdisciplinary setting.

The primary goal of the NW MIRECC Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship program is to train and equip physicians, psychologists, and other allied health professionals with the knowledge and expertise to lead clinical research efforts that make lasting contributions in the lives of Veterans experiencing mental health challenges. Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows of the two-year postdoctoral training program at VAPORHCS, in collaboration with their mentors, develop and implement research projects, publish and present findings, write grants, and utilize the latest technology for educational activities and clinical service delivery. Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows devote 75% of their time to research and education activities and 25% to direct patient care and clinical consultation.

The NW MIRECC Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship site is linked electronically to other national MIRECC sites for didactic, academic, and research efforts. NW MIRECC Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship training opportunities: 

1. Participation in weekly research-oriented videoconferences with fellows from the national VA Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment.
2. Collaboration with clinical researchers who share a common interest in polytrauma, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.
3. Presentation of research to various disciplines of health practitioners in academic and community settings and the MIRECC Presents videoconference series.
4. Participation in the design and implementation of CME conferences and distance learning programs for VA and non-VA professional staff, and programs for Veterans and their families, throughout the Pacific Northwest.
5. Optional participation in OHSU Human Investigations Program (HIP), which offers an integrated clinical and translational research education curriculum and results in a Certificate in Human Investigations.
6. Training opportunities with the VA Portland’s PTSD Clinical Team (PCT), a multidisciplinary outpatient team that provides evidence-based treatments to Veterans experiencing PTSD related to their military service. Postdoctoral fellows have the opportunity to provide individual and group psychotherapy, supervise doctoral-level trainees, and actively participate in weekly team meetings and PTSD consultation as junior colleagues.

Advanced Fellowships directly impact the health care leadership pipeline for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Nation through specialized training relevant to health care priorities. In some instances, the program may be extended for a third year to further develop advanced competencies in clinical research.

NW MIRECC substantially enhances the capacity and potential of VISN 20 to generate and disseminate new knowledge about mental illness and treatments. VAPORHCS serves Veterans in Oregon and Southwest Washington with two main divisions: Portland VA Medical Center and Vancouver VA Medical Center. Situated on a 450-foot-tall basalt-rock hill; Portland VA Medical Center and academic-affiliate OHSU, are physically connected by a 660-foot enclosed pedestrian sky bridge. Connected both physically and through academic partnerships, shared research endeavors, healthcare training, and shared staff including scientists, clinician-educators, and clinician-researchers. NW MIRECC collaborates and consults with other MIRECCs and Centers of Excellence, as well as with other VA, federal, state and community agencies to disseminate best practice treatments and current research findings related to PTSD and associated conditions. 

To Educate for VA and the Nation

As one of four statutory missions, VA educates and trains health professionals to enhance the quality of and timely access to care provided to Veterans within VHA's healthcare system. To achieve this mission, "To educate for VA and the Nation", the VA has conducted health professions education and training in partnership with affiliated U.S. academic institutions for the past 78 years in accordance with the landmark 1946 Policy Memorandum No. 2. Title 38 U.S.C. Section 7302 mandates that VA assist in carrying out a “program of education and training of health personnel” for its own needs and those of the nation. The knowledge produced by NW MIRECC research efforts is disseminated through VA's Institute for Learning, Education and Development (ILEAD) platform and face-to-face educational offerings, and directly implemented in clinics throughout the Northwest and throughout the country.

Overseen by the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), this mandate spurred the significant growth in the depth and breadth of health professions education in the VA, which is now the largest provider of health professions education and training and second largest funder of graduate medical education in the United States. Including MIRECC, there are over twenty (20) types of Advanced Fellowships & Professional Development are available in locations across the United States. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae using the contact. Advanced Fellowships & Professional Development programs offer post-residency, post-doctoral, nursing and post-masters fellowships to physicians and dentists, and associated health professions, including psychologists, social workers and pharmacists. Through hands-on, mentored educational experiences, trainees develop skills in specific clinical areas and gain experience in policy development, system redesign and research methodology. Advanced Fellowship programs are available for clinical and non-clinical health care professions. The Advanced Fellowship portfolio aligns with high-impact educational priority areas for the care of our nation’s Veterans in the areas of health care improvement, advanced clinical practice, research, quality improvement, policy and administration.

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Vet Centers in VISN 20

Vet Centers in VISN 20 are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active-duty Army, Navy, Marine Corp, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families. 1-877-927-8387 is an around the clock confidential call center where combat Veterans and their families can call to talk about their military experience or any other issue they are facing in their readjustment to civilian life. The staff is comprised of combat Veterans from several eras as well as families members of combat Veterans. This benefit is prepaid through the Veteran’s military service.

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