Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: RESEARCH FOCUS
Title:
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Adolescent Depression and Adolescent Stress Response
Site:
Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital
Supervisors:
Laura Stroud, Ph.D. (Primary Supervisor)
Margaret Bublitz, Ph.D.
Description of Site
The proposed training will be carried out at the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine (CBPM) at the Warren
Alpert Medical School of Brown University and The Miriam Hospital. The CBPM is nationally recognized for its
research and training in behavioral and preventive medicine. The CBPM includes over 20 faculty members representing
behavioral and social sciences. Faculty at the CBPM conduct research in the areas of tobacco use, physical activity,
weight control, diabetes, cancer prevention and control, and HIV. The CBPM is a Brown University center in the
program in public health that is based at The Miriam Hospital. The Miriam Hospital is a 240 bed general medical surgical
hospital that is a teaching affiliate of the Brown medical school. Within the CPBM, Dr. Stroud directs the Child and
Adolescent Stress Laboratory as well as the Maternal-Infant Stress Laboratory. The postdoctoral fellow will be
offered the opportunity to take part in educational opportunities through Dr. Stroud’s laboratories specifically as well as
the overall CPBM.
Fellowship Aims
1. To provide the fellow with supervised experience in structured clinical interviews with children, adolescents,
and caregivers. Other supervised experiences in preparation for licensure can also be made available.
2. To provide the fellow with broad post-doctoral training in the area of adolescent depression and adolescent
stress responses. In particular, to provide fellow with background on the hypothalamic pituitary
adrenocortical (HPA) axis as related to social stress, brain response to social stress, depression, and
depression risk.
3. To provide fellow with experience in conducting and supervising laboratory stress protocols.
4. To provide the fellow with a strong working knowledge of biobehavioral and neural mechanisms underlying
risk for affective disorders in children/adolescents.
5. To provide the fellow with research training and experience that will prepare the fellow for a future career as
an independent investigator in the area of adolescent depression and offspring biobehavioral risk processes.
Fellowship Timeline
The duration of the fellowship is expected to be two years with the second year contingent upon availability of funding
and satisfactory progress during the first year. The anticipated start date is flexible between June, 2015 and Sept-2015.
Research Activity Plan (77.5% time)
The fellow will be exposed to various aspects of clinical and research work. This is achieved via participation in the
following activities:
 Clinical assessments: Structured clinical interviews (K-SADS, SCID) with mothers, children, and adolescents
will be conducted in the context of ongoing research studies. These activities will account for approximately
45% of the fellow’s time. Of this time, at least 12.5% time would involve assessments with clinical
populations (depressed adolescents). These will be supervised by Margaret Bublitz, Ph.D., Licensed
Psychologist.
1
Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: RESEARCH FOCUS

Study coordination: The fellow will collaborate with the PI (Laura Stroud, PhD) to coordinate a study of
adolescent depression and biobehavioral and neural responses funded by National Institute of Mental Health.
These activities will account for approximately 20% of the fellow’s time.

Manuscript and/or grant preparation and submission: The fellow will be encouraged to participate in
manuscript and grant preparation and presentations at national conferences. Individually tailored goals will
be established in this area. These activities will account for approximately 20% of the fellow’s time.

Review of the stress response systems across development, adolescent depression, social stress, child and
adolescent stress response literature. The fellow will be provided with a series of readings in these areas.

The fellow will be required to participate in regular research meetings and journal clubs conducted through
the Maternal-Infant Stress Laboratory and Child and Adolescent Stress Laboratory and the Center for
Behavioral and Preventive Medicine. These will account for approximately 5% of the fellow’s time.
Clinical Activity Plan (12.5%)
Opportunities for additional clinical experience will be provided as part of the position. Fellows with clinical degrees are
encouraged to meet the requirements for licensure in Rhode Island by the end of the fellowship.

Clinical assessments: Structured clinical interviews (K-SADS, SCID) with mothers, children, and adolescents
will be conducted in the context of the ongoing research study as described above. As described above, at
least 12.5% of the fellow’s time would involve assessments with clinical populations (depressed adolescents).
Path toward licensure: YES__X___ NO_____
Didactics (10% time)
The fellow will participate in the weekly postdoctoral research seminars offered through the Brown University
Postdoctoral Training Program (10% time).
Mandatory Didactics:
Core Seminars (1 per month)
DPHB Academic Grand Rounds (1 per month)
Clinical Ethics – if intending to sit for licensure (1 per month)
Track Seminars – Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Course (weekly)
Optional Didactics (Mandatory for T32/F32/ and Investigator Funded Fellows):
Academic Friday – Grantsmanship seminars, Special Topics in Statistics and Alcohol Center seminars.
Supervision and Evaluation
Research supervision will come from weekly and ad-hoc meetings with Dr. Stroud. Opportunities for collaboration with
other co-investigators including: Ronald Seifer, Ph.D., Daniel Dickstein, M.D., and George Papandonatos, Ph.D. Clinical
supervision will come from Dr. Margaret Bublitz, Licensed Clinical Psychologist.
The Fellow will have the opportunity to participate in clinical and supervision hours at a rate that will result in eligibility
to sit for the national Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) and other state licensing procedures
at the end of the second year of fellowship training.
Every 6 months throughout the fellowship, the fellow and the supervisors are requested to provide formal evaluations, and
evaluations of the program relative to the goals and learning objectives of the fellowship.
2
Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: RESEARCH FOCUS
Resource Requirements
Fellow will be provided with the following resources:




Office space
A personal desktop computer and project specific software
Internet access
Telephone
Reporting and approval
This fellowship will be part of the Behavioral Medicine track and is contingent on the availability of funding.
_____________________________________
Postdoctoral Fellowship Track Coordinator
______________________________________
Associate Director for Investigator Funded Fellowship Positions/NIH Funded Fellowship Positions
______________________________________
Director, Brown Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
3