Clinical Health Psychology Speciality Track
Message from specialty program director
About the track
Our APA-accredited clinical health psychology fellowship aims to provide the advanced specialty training necessary for fellows to launch successful careers as clinical health psychologists. Within our interdisciplinary academic medical center, fellows develop competency in evidence-based biopsychosocial assessment and treatment approaches relevant to diverse health populations.
The two-year program allows fellows to tailor their experience based on interests through rotations in their chosen area and additional minor rotations. Ongoing mentorship facilitates the development of strong research skills, including designing and conducting innovative studies, analyzing complex data, and disseminating findings through national presentations and peer-reviewed publications.
We emphasize training in cultural humility, diversity awareness, and competence in ethical, equitable service delivery and research with marginalized groups. Professional development is fostered through teaching and supervision opportunities, leadership training, and interprofessional collaboration.
Upon completion, fellows will have obtained the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to provide integrated care, conduct impactful research, teach, lead teams, and pursue board certification as clinical health psychologists. Our goal is for graduates to obtain positions that blend practice, research, teaching, and leadership roles to improve health outcomes throughout their careers.
As a clinical health psychology fellow, you will be assigned a primary major clinical concentration and supervisor/mentor, while also having the option to select one or more minor clinical concentrations. A major rotation spans across the two years of the fellowship, and accounts for at least 50% of your clinical experience, whereas minor rotations are tailored in duration to meet your training objectives. The remainder of your time will be focused on research (30%), educational activities (e.g., didactics), and administrative tasks.
Our fellowship offers the opportunity to gain breadth and depth of clinical health psychology training across several specialty areas through the following major rotations below.
Rotations
Major Clinical Health Psychology rotations include:
Integrated behavioral health/primary care psychology
Engage in integrated and collaborative health care within primary care clinics, focusing on short-term evidence-based interventions, co-management with primary care, and disease self-management. The major areas of focus are depression and anxiety disorders, with a particular emphasis on exposure-based interventions. Fellows will also have opportunities for program development to address population-based mental health needs. Ongoing research endeavors include monitoring psychotherapy outcomes within a primary care setting.
Faculty: Cesar Gonzalez, Ph.D., L.P., MSCP, ABPP; Anne Roche, Ph.D., L.P.; Craig Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP; and Kristin Vickers, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP
Family medicine residency education
Utilize adult learning theories to enrich graduate medical education through the development and delivery of a robust behavioral science curriculum. This includes participating in direct observations and offering insightful guidance to family medicine residents on mastering patient-centered communication and understanding the psychosocial determinants of health and illness. The rotation further extends to building skills in residency program administration, faculty development, resident evaluation, and fostering the professional growth and well-being of residents. Opportunities to delve into medical education and resident physician well-being research are available.
Faculty: Cesar Gonzalez, Ph.D., L.P., MSCP, ABPP
Onco-psychology
Participate in outpatient multidisciplinary clinical rotations and NIH-funded research that bridge oncology and psychology. Train in assessment, consultation, intervention, and screening. Research psychological and behavioral prognostic factors among cancer patients, tobacco use, and physical activity interventions for underserved populations. involve in community-based participatory research and quality-of-life interventions for cancer patients.
Faculty: Carrie Bronars, PhD, LP; Matthew Clark, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP; Kristine Donovan, Ph.D., L.P.; Shawna Ehlers, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP; Janae Kirsch, Ph.D., L.P.; and Christi Patten, Ph.D.
Pain Rehabilitation Center
Participate in an interdisciplinary, intensive three-week outpatient treatment program designed for patients coping with intractable chronic pain and symptoms. Receive comprehensive training in pain neuroscience and the delivery of group-based cognitive-behavioral treatment aimed at enhancing functional restoration, self-management of symptoms, and reducing reliance on medications and health care utilization. This program offers robust research opportunities, targeting various patient populations experiencing chronic pain, such as younger and older adults, and those with comorbid conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. Teaching and supervision opportunities are offered, including training medical students in biopsychosocial pain assessment and treatment within the innovative Simulation Center.
Faculty: Wesley Gilliam, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP; Eleshia Morrison, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP; and Matthew Schumann, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP
Transgender and Intersex Specialty Care Clinic (TISCC)
Engage in delivering gender-affirming integrated assessments and behavioral health services, rooted in a comprehensive biomedical-psycho-social-cultural-legal perspective, to transgender, gender diverse, and intersex individuals. Your role extends to conducting pre- and post-surgical psychological evaluations and generating optimization plans. As a health psychology fellow, you will become a pivotal member of an interdisciplinary team with expertise in endocrinology, medical social work, psychopharmacology, physical therapy, sexual and reproductive health, and surgery. This team operates within a framework that recognizes and addresses the complex interplay of biological, medical, psychological, social, cultural, and legal factors that affect the health and well-being of transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex individuals. Opportunities for professional growth extend to engaging in teaching, program development, and research activities. Through this comprehensive and intersectional approach to practice, education, research, and advocacy, you will be better positioned to provide compassionate and effective care, advancing both your expertise and the broader mission of promoting population health equity and social justice for transgender, gender diverse, and intersex individuals.
Faculty: Leo Candelario-Perez, Ph.D., L.P., and Cesar Gonzalez, Ph.D., L.P., MSCP, ABPP
Weight management and bariatric surgery
Engage in the evaluation and treatment of patients facing medically complicated obesity within a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary obesity and bariatric surgery program. Our services include assessing patients who are exploring minimally invasive weight loss procedures and bariatric surgery, alongside offering individual and group cognitive behavioral therapy for managing obesity, binge eating, sustaining weight loss, and providing post-bariatric surgery support. Opportunities to engage in both internally and externally funded research are available.
Faculty: Karen Grothe, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP; Matthew Clark, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP, and Afton Koball, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP
Minor rotations
Minor rotations provide a flexible framework allowing for tailored intensity and duration to meet individual training goals, and can be pursued within any of the specified major rotations or in the following areas:
Menopause and women's sexual health
Training includes assessment of psychosocial factors that influence sexual and relationship health, consultation with interdisciplinary colleagues, and delivery of evidence-based treatment (individual and couples/family therapy) to enhance sexual wellness.
Faculty: Jennifer Vencill, Ph.D., L.P., CST, ABPP
GI Behavioral Medicine
Training opportunities in GI Behavioral Medicine include assessment, intervention, consultation, education, and research. Our service is integrated into the GI Motility Clinic, and we offer patients with complex and chronic digestive disorders evaluation of psychosocial factors that impact chronic digestive symptoms and provide behavioral treatment recommendations to improve digestive symptom management and/or health-related quality of life. Training in brain-gut behavioral therapies in both individual and group formats is available, and fellows would primarily receive training in delivering psychoeducation about the gut-brain connection and its role in persistent digestive symptoms as well as cognitive behavioral interventions to improve digestive symptoms. Observation of gut-directed hypnosis is offered. There are additional opportunities for professional growth through education to medical trainees. Psychology fellows are also welcome to engage in research examining psychosocial factors that influence digestive health and the impact of behavioral interventions for chronic GI conditions on both psychological and medical outcomes.
Faculty: Megan Petrik, Ph.D., L.P., ABPP
Intensive Outpatient Program (Adult Transitions Program)
Participate in a multidisciplinary team providing short-term, frequent (12 hours per week for 4 weeks), group psychotherapy for patients recovering from or hoping to prevent a mental health crisis. Focus on assessment and diagnosis of acute mental health concerns, collaboration with higher and lower levels of care (hospital, ED, outpatient, and integrated behavioral health), delivery of cognitive behavioral group therapy, and aftercare planning. Fellows will have opportunities to collaborate with psychiatry, social work, occupational therapy, and nursing within the program and contribute to ongoing program development and treatment outcome evaluation. Ongoing research focuses on program effectiveness for reducing symptoms, increasing functioning, and promoting effective engagement in outpatient care as well as mechanisms of change within the program.
Faculty: Lorelei Rowe, Ph.D., L.P.; Kathleen McVey, Ph.D., L.P.