Postdoc Research Fellow Psychiatry

Overview

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The General Hospital Corporation

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

The Mass General Brigham (MGB) Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR) has served as a hub for interdisciplinary research with a focus on behavioral intervention development and testing since 2021. CHOIR has been successful in securing federal funding and is led by Dr. Ana-Maria Vranceanu, a clinical psychologist. Current funded projects focus on aging, chronic pain, cognitive health, and caregiver support.

CHOIR also houses an APA-approved predoctoral internship program (3 interns), a NIA-funded T32 fellowship, and NIA Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, as well as a site for local predoctoral practicum students in clinical psychology. The environment is highly supportive of training and mentoring. The primary clinical services delivered through CHOIR occur in the MGB CHOIR Caregiver Clinic, which offers psychotherapy to caregivers of persons with neurodegenerative conditions.

Learners at all levels have supervised clinical opportunities to work with caregivers through this clinic. The environment is highly supportive of early career faculty, including a “K club” for investigators who are developing or executing career development projects, and a weekly research seminar with MGH-based and national investigators from various disciplines interested in interdisciplinary collaborations.

CHOIR is seeking to hire a full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join our team. The fellow will work under the primary mentorship of Drs. Evan Plys and Ana-Maria Vranceanu. The fellow will primarily work on a PCORI-funded trial comparing the effectiveness of two telehealth-delivered group behavioral interventions for elevated caregiver strain among those caring for someone with dementia. The fellow will also have opportunities to contribute to funded studies focused on mental health in nursing homes, led by Dr.

Plys (e.g., dyadic intervention for depression in short-stay units). This is an exciting opportunity to gain applied experience in clinical research focused on aging and mental health. Clinical psychology trainees will have ample opportunities for supervised clinical services to gain licensure.

We are a dynamic team committed to fostering a collaborative, supportive, and intellectually curious environment. Mentoring is fundamental to our center and is taken very seriously. Our trainees have been successful in securing funding to start their independent research careers, and many stay within our center. Professional growth and development, along with a sense of community, are core values. We welcome applicants who are motivated, eager to learn, and excited to be part of a team working to produce research that has a meaningful impact in the lives of older adults and their families.

The fellow will also have the opportunity to participate in various training opportunities offered through CHOIR.

• Assisting with study operations, including overseeing the delivery of clinical interventions
• Supervising clinical research coordinators, predoctoral interns, and predoctoral practicum trainees in clinical psychology
• Analyzing data to present at national/international meetings and building an active research/publication record

• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or a related field
• Background in research and aging strongly encouraged
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team
• Genuine interest in the topic area and motivation to contribute to a community of clinical psychology researchers
• Excitement for the research process