Postdoctoral Fellowships in Medical Psychology

rotunda The Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences offers several postdoctoral fellowships in Medical Psychology for graduates of APA or CPA-approved doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology who have completed an APA or CPA-approved predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology. Training and supervision are provided by the psychology and psychiatry faculty and are coordinated with the other postdoctoral fellowships within the University of Virginia Health System (UVaHS). This allows for a broad variety of interdisciplinary educational, research, and clinical training opportunities as well as in-depth experience in providing a wide range of services in Medical Psychology.

Educational experiences in the fellowship program include seminars, coordinated by each service and specialty area, which supply the fellow with the necessary knowledge and techniques to provide appropriate professional services in medical settings.

The fellowship program is a one-year, full-time training experience (with a possible renewal for a second year). Fellowship typically begins between July 1st and September 1st of each calendar year. The fellowship is administered by the Psychology Fellowship Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. Each fellow is appointed to the Housestaff of the University of Virginia Health System and awarded a certificate by the UVaHS upon successful completion of the training program.

The Charlottesville Area

Charlottesville is a metropolitan city located in the center of the Commonwealth. The City of Charlottesville and the surrounding Albemarle County have a population now exceeding 100,000. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and ski resorts are approximately one-half hour by car to the West; Virginia Beach, three hours to the Southeast; and Washington, D.C., two hours to the Northeast. The focal point of the city is the University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson. The area is rich in history and popular tourist spots include Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home), Ash Lawn-Highland (James Monroe’s home), and nearby Montpelier (James Madison’s home). Money magazine has named Charlottesville among the top cities in the United States, Outside magazine listed it as one of their “dream towns,” and Charlottesville has been lauded as one of the top cities for charming atmosphere, book lovers, wine enthusiasts, college football, as well as one of the healthiest cities.

Goals and Organization

The program is designed to provide sub-specialty training within a large academic medical center. Collaboration between members of different disciplines is valued during the fellowship. The fellow is expected to consolidate and develop further competence in the therapeutic and diagnostic procedures appropriate to his or her specialty, including the ability to consult with other professionals where psychological knowledge can make a unique contribution to patient management. An essential feature of the training program is a balance between ongoing clinical activities and didactic offerings. Participation in faculty research projects, as well as the opportunity to develop independent research projects may also be possible and is considered integral to the scientist-practitioner model in psychology.

Individual supervision for at least two hours per week is provided on each of the clinical services and sites. The Medical psychology Program Director holds an orientation meeting and monthly training meetings during the year and provides consultation to the fellows and oversight of the sub-specialty training programs.

Admission Criteria

Completion of graduate program requirements for a doctoral degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology from an APA or CPA-approved program.
Completion of an APA or CPA-approved predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology

Materials Required

A completed Application (click here to download the application in MS Word format)
- Clinical Health Psychology applicants: use this Application instead
A copy of your most recent curriculum vitae
Official transcripts from granting institutions for graduate degrees.
Three letters of recommendation from those familiar with your work
Neuropsychology applicants only:
- APPCN verification form
- One de-identified sample report is also required

Postdoctoral fellows are expected to take the EPPP national licensing exam and apply for licensure within the Commonwealth of Virginia within the first six months of their fellowship. An excellent resource on the process for Virginia licensure as a Clinical Psychologist, including tips and advice on the EPPP, is on the Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologist (VACP) website. The handbook can be found here: http://www.vapsych.org/assets/docs/post-doc_licensure_handbook.pdf by going to the bottom of the page and clicking “Post-Doctoral Licensure Handbook.”

Note: Hospital policy states that all incoming house staff must pass a background check and drug screening as a function of employment.

PLEASE DIRECT ALL MATERIALS & INQUIRIES TO THE SUB-SPECIALTY TRAINING DIRECTOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION ON THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM’S INDIVIDUAL WEB PAGE.

The Clinical Neuropsychology fellowship is an APPCN match programs. The APPCN match results will be released on the TBD match release date. All other programs will inform applicants of selection timeframes and notification procedures.

General information about benefits can be found below in the link to the Graduate Medical Education Office at UVA. Note that some of the benefits pertain only to medical residents (e.g., on-call office). Specific questions about benefits should be directed to the sub-specialty training directors or to the program director.

https://med.virginia.edu/gme/salary-benefits/

Upon selection for the Medical Psychology Fellowship Program at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, a formal offer letter will be sent by the Program Director who will also be the point of contact for the credentialing and appointment process:

Donna K. Broshek, PhD, ABPP-CN
Interim Director, Medical Psychology Fellowship Program
Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences
Box 800203
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0223
dkb6v@uvahealth.org