The Cambridge Health Alliance is a community-based distributed hospital system which includes The Cambridge Hospital, a primary teaching hospital for the Harvard Medical School. We offer full-time (40 hours) two-year postdoctoral training opportunities in adult neuropsychology. Fellows are eligible for appointment as a Clinical Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Our objective is to provide intensive training in the neuropsychological assessment of a range of adult inpatient and outpatient populations including primary neurological, medical, psychiatric, and developmental disorders. Medical and psychiatric inpatient consultations are also performed. Referrals include evaluations of patients who present with a variety of neurological disorders, such as head trauma, seizure disorders, dementia, vascular disorders, metabolic disorders, sleep disorders, headaches, and movement disorders. Psychiatric referrals range from mood and anxiety disorders to severe and persistent psychotic disorders, complex trauma, and polysubstance abuse. Patients with neurodevelopmental disorders such as learning, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and Asperger’s disorders are also evaluated. Fellows typically work on an assessment team with psychologic assessors to coordinate patient care and integrate comprehensive assessments.
Training Experiences
The neuropsychology training program is designed to provide supervised experience in neuropsychological assessment and intervention in accordance with Houston Conference Guidelines and to meet eligibility requirements for the ABPP Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology. To meet these goals, fellows conduct two to three evaluations per week, for which they receive two to three hours of supervision. They complete various intensive seminars over the course of two years within the hospital and Harvard Medical School to ensure that they are adequately prepared to pursue ABPP certification. First year seminars include adult neuropsychology, behavioral neuroanatomy and a clinical case seminar (using a fact-finding method). In their second year, fellows participate in a neurology rotation in which they shadow a neurologist in clinic. They also participate in a brain cutting seminar, psychopharmacology seminar, behavioral neuroanatomy seminar, and a case seminar. Psychiatry grand rounds, neuroscience grand rounds, and testing rounds at the Hospital and in the wider Harvard Medical School system provide fellows with diverse didactics. Opportunities for advanced training in psychological assessment are also available and multidisciplinary interaction with psychiatry, neurology, and geriatrics is typical. The adult postdoctoral fellows are also part of a larger psychology postdoctoral fellowship program at Cambridge Health Alliance and meet weekly as a group with the Director of Postdoctoral Training to discuss professional development issues for psychologists. Fellows are provided with teaching and mentoring opportunities. A clinical research component is also a requirement culminating in a professional poster or paper submission at the end of the two-year training. Each fellow is mentored by a neuropsychology training director and a postdoctoral training director.
Program Details
Yearly stipends are expected to be at $31,250 for the 40-hour fellowship. Health insurance and other benefits are available to fellows as employees of Cambridge Health Alliance. All fellows receive three weeks of vacation, one week of research time, and one week of conference time each year. Membership to Harvard University libraries, athletic facilities and other benefits are included.
Neuropsychology Training Director:
Margaret Lanca, Ph.D.; Director of Adult Neuropsychology and Psychological Testing and Training; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Core Neuropsychology Training Faculty:
David Dinklage, Ph.D., Supervising Pediatric and Adult Neuropsychologist; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Anthony Giuliano, Ph.D., Supervising Neuropsychologist; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Karen Postal, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, Supervising Neuropsychologist; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
William Rinn, Ph.D., Supervising Neuropsychologist; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Douglas Watt, Ph.D., Lecturer in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Additional Training Staff:
Melinda Kulish, Ph.D., Supervising Neuropsychologist; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
David Kemmerer, Ph.D., Supervising Testing Psychologist; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Psychology Training Directors:
Marla Eby, Ph.D., Associate Director of Psychology and Psychology Training, Director of Post-Doctoral Training in Psychology; Assistant Professor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Patricia Harney, Ph.D., Associate Director of Psychology and Psychology Training; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Kimberlyn Leary, Ph.D., ABPP, Director of Psychology and Psychology Training; Associate Professor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Qualifications and Application
Qualified applicants must have completed an APA/CPA-approved clinical internship and all the requirements for a doctorate in an APA/CPA-approved clinical psychology graduate program. Completion of the doctoral dissertation prior to the start of post-doctoral fellowship is required. Facility with verbal and written expression, as well as an excellent academic record is essential. Graduate level coursework and practicum experience should include: brain and behavior relationships, adult psychopathology, assessment of intelligence, achievement, and psychopathology, topics in neuropsychological assessment, supervised practica in clinical neuropsychology, and research methods in applied psychology. People from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Selected applicants will be contacted to set up interviews, which will be conducted during the last week of January or the first week of February at the Cambridge Health Alliance. Individual interviews will be arranged with the Neuropsychology Training Director, other neuropsychology training faculty, and the Director of Post-Doctoral Training.
Application to our program should be done on-line at http://www.challiance.org/clinical_psychology_res/postdoc_program.shtml . Please note that all of the following should be submitted on-line:
- A letter of interest that includes your reasons for selecting either adult neuropsychology track as well as the Cambridge Health Alliance as a training site.
- A brief application form which is on-line. This form includes brief personal information and an indication of your choice of fellowship specialty.
- A copy of your current Curriculum Vitae.
- Three letters of recommendation, submitted on-line by the referrer.
- Two test reports.
- Graduate school transcripts (unofficial copy acceptable).
For additional specific program information please contact:
Margaret Lanca, Ph.D. mlanca@challiance.org
Please note: The fellowship program is NOT be participating in the APPCN match program in 2012
If you have any questions about the training program, or the application process, please call the Psychology Training Coordinator, Ms. Lena Giordano at 617-665-1183. Thank you for your interest in The Cambridge Health Alliance.