Postdoctoral Residency in Neuropsychology

The Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Program offers positions every 2 years. We will be recruiting for new postdoctoral fellows in 2006.

Postdoctoral Residency in Clinical Neuropsychology

Overview

Program Mission

To provide advanced level clinical, didactic and academic training to produce competent psychologists in the specialty of Clinical Neuropsychology. This is accomplished through the resident's participation in a number of neuropsychology-specific clinical, didactic, and research experiences, as well through further advanced-level training in psychotherapy.

Entry Requirements

Successful completion of an APA accredited doctoral education and clinical training program as well as an internship program that includes substantial training in clinical neuropsychology. No candidates who are ABD at the beginning of the Residency will be considered.

Program Components

Development of advanced skill in the neuropsychological evaluation and treatment of patients, and consultation to patients and professionals sufficient to practice on an independent basis.
Development of advanced understanding of brain-behavior relationships.
Scholarly activity, e.g., submission of a study or literature review for publication, presentation, and submission of a grant proposal or outcome assessment.
Pedagogical activity, e.g., teaching contributions to Clinical Neurosciences Series, opportunities for supervision of psychology Interns or Externs.

Clinical Rotations

Possible Major Rotations

Adult Neuropsychology Clinics (Outpatient and Inpatient; Hospital Clinic or Satellite Program in Hobart, Indiana)
Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic (Outpatient and Inpatient)
Comprehensive Care Center for Memory Disorders

Possible Minor Elective Rotations

Inpatient Neurology
Geriatric Psychiatry/Neuropsychiatry Clinics
Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry
Sleep Disorders Center
EEG/Epilepsy Clinic
Neuroimaging/Neurophysiology
Behavioral Medicine Clinics
Child Psychology Clinics

Program Structure

Consistent with the Houston Conference guidelines for training in clinical neuropsychology, this is a two-year residency. Most of the postdoctoral Resident's week (approximately 70%) will be spent engaged in providing clinical service, including assessment and treatment activities. The remaining time (approximately 30%) will be will be spent in research and educational activities.

Year 1

The first year of the residency is designed to provide the resident with a foundation in advanced neuroscience, to address areas of clinical training in which the resident may be less experienced, and to expand the resident's research experiences.

Two major rotations (see above, Half-time during Medical Neuroanatomy course).
Medical Neuroanatomy course (March-June daily) with concurrent half-time major rotation over 4 months.
Sixteen hours of assessment per week is typical. These will typically consist of two outpatient evaluations and one inpatient evaluation per week, except during the Neuroanatomy sequence when some testing of cases is required (8-12 hours/week). The resident will test one case him/herself each week.
Five psychotherapy cases per week.
3 elective rotations over the course of the year (see above).
Submission of a small research study (e.g., archival or part of faculty members' research program) or literature review for presentation and publication in the first year. Outline of original research project, grant proposal or outcome assessment written in first year and carried out in second year.

Year 2

The composition of this year will depend in part on the Resident's clinical interests and career trajectory with further emphasis on clinical and research subspecialization.

One major rotation per six months
Neuropsychology Consultation Service one day per week.
Two elective rotations
Conduct and complete original research including paper submitted for publication
Continue psychotherapy patient caseload or provide service within the inpatient neuropsychological consultation service

Educational Activities

Required Seminars

Clinical Neurosciences Series
Neuropsychology Case Conference & Neuroanatomy Series
Neurology Grand Rounds
Neuropathology/Brain Cutting
Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Required Course

Medical Neuroanatomy (March-June daily during Year 1)

Optional Seminars

Neurosurgery Rounds
Comprehensive Epilepsy Center Conference
Multidisciplinary Team Conference

Teaching Requirements

The Resident will make regular teaching contributions to the weekly Clinical Neurosciences Series. There will be opportunities to present lectures on neuropsychology to medical students, psychiatry and/or neurology residents, and psychology interns. There will also be opportunities for supervision of psychology Interns or advanced Externs.

Other Professional Development Activities

The Resident will have the opportunity to serve as seminar coordinator (i.e., scheduling and coordinating lecturers) for the Neuroanatomy Series and for a psychology intern seminar entitled Psychology in a Medical Setting.

Supervision

The Resident will meet weekly with a primary supervisor, and will also meet regularly with a psychotherapy supervisor and major rotation supervisor. With the several neuropsychologists on faculty, the Resident will gain exposure to a diversity of approaches to clinical neuropsychology. There are also typically at least five hours of structured educational activities per week.

Exit Criteria

Formal evaluation of competency at the end of the residency indicates advanced skill in neuropsychological evaluation, treatment and consultation.
Eligibility for state licensure or certification for the independent practice of psychology.
Eligibility for board certification in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for the postdoctoral residency will be $25,000 in the first year and $27,000 in the second year. Three weeks of vacation/leave time. Subsidized health benefits are offered. Private office and access to separate testing rooms. Secretarial support as well as use of a computer will be provided.

Application Procedures

Send a CV, a statement of interest and goals, three letters of recommendation, a sample neuropsychological testing report, and any research papers or reprints to: Joseph W. Fink, PhD, ABPP/CN
University of Chicago
Department of Psychiatry-- MC3077
5841 S. Maryland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
jfink@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu Application Deadline: February 1, 2006

Please note that this Residency will participate in the Resident Matching Program of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN). As such, several additional deadline dates should be kept in mind:

January 13, 2006 : Recommended date by which applicants must return their Agreement forms to National Matching Services, Inc.
March 3, 2006 : Final date for submission of applicant and program Rank Order Lists.
March 13, 2006 : Results of the Match are released to applicants and program directors.

Information about registering for the Match, as well as rules for participation in the Match can be found at the following web-site (Please download the rules from the Match web-site and become familiar with them):
www.natmatch.com/appcnmat

All applicants must be familiar with the Match rules and instructions.

The APPCN Match Program Code Number is 9982 .

Note that early applications will allow for interviews to be conducted at the International Neuropsychological Society meeting in February 2006.

Neuropsychology Faculty

Joseph W. Fink, Ph.D., ABPP/CN has interests in medical neuropsychology, traumatic brain injury, the neurocognitive sequelae of electrical trauma, neuropsychological detection and characterization of neurodegenerative conditions, and investigation of various classes of memory disruption and their neural substrates.

Scott Hunter, Ph.D. is the Director of Pediatric Neuropsychology. He has clinical and research interests in pediatric medical neuropsychology, test development and standardization, the diagnosis and treatment of subcortically-based neurodevelopmental disorders, and the identification of risk factors contributing to co-morbid developmental disability and psychopathology.

Maureen Lacy, Ph.D. specializes in rehabilitation neuropsychology. Her research interests include cerebrovascular accidents, dementia severity and independent living, and patterns of memory deficits in traumatic brain injury.

Eric R. Larson, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist with interests in the cognitive aspects of aging and dementia. Dr. Larson functions as the attending neuropsychologist at The University of Chicago Memory Disorders Clinic. Current research projects involve ethical issues in the aging population and how social functioning is affected by various dementias

Adjunct Faculty

Robert Heilbronner, Ph.D., ABPP/CN is a clinical neuropsychologist in independent practice in Chicago. Dr. Heilbronner has many years of experience in rehabilitation and forensic neuropsychology.

Lisa Sworowski, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist with the Isaac Ray Forensic Group in Chicago. Dr. Sworowski has expertise in forensic psychology and neuropsychology as well as general clinical neuropsychology.

Selected Faculty Bibliography

Fink, J.W ., and Randolph, C. (1998). Semantic memory in neurodegenerative disorders. In A.I. Troster (Ed.), Memory in Neurodegenerative Disease: Biological, Cognitive, and Clinical Perspectives. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Pliskin, N.H., Fink, J.W ., Malina, A., Moran, S., Kelley, K., Capelli-Schellpfeffer, M., & Lee, R. (1999). The neuropsychological effects of electrical injury: New Insights. In C. Chen, R.C. Lee, J. Shih, & Zhong, M. (Eds.), Occupational Electrical Injury: An International Symposium, in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 888 , pp. 140-149.

Hunter, S.J. , Karrer, R., & Nelson, M. (in press). Does infant visual attention predict later IQ performance? An event-related potential and looking behavior analysis. Intelligence.

Lacy, M.A ., Gore, P.A., Pliskin, N.H., Henry, G.K. and Heilbronner, R.L. A cross validation of verbal fluency task equivalence. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 10 (3) , 305-308, 1996.

Bieliauskas, L., Fastenau, P., Lacy, M. , Roper, B.L. (1998). Use of the odds ratio to translate neuropsychological test scores into real-world outcomes: From statistical significance to clinical significance. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology , 19(6), 889-896.

Lacy, M. & Sworowski, L. (2002). Neuropsychological Aspects of Substance Abuse. In H. D'haenen(Ed.), Biological Psychiatry . London: John Wiley.

Larson, E.R ., Krikorian, R., Shear, P.K., Welge, J., & Strakowski, S.M. (2005). Working memory and inhibitory control among manic and euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 11, 163-172.

Larson , E.R., Hammeke, T.A., Swanson, S.J., Possing, E. & Kortenkamp, S., and Binder, J.R. (2004). Functional MRI activation of the anterior temporal lobe: A comparison of three protocols. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 10 (S1).

Larson, E.R. , Hammeke T.A., Swanson, S.J., Spanaki, M.V., Morris, G.L., Phillips, R., & Mueller, W.M. (2004). Use of a neuropsychological laterality rating scale to predict side of seizure in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 10 (S1).

Department of Psychiatry