Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: RESEARCH FOCUS
Title:
Site:
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Suicide Prevention in High-Risk Populations
Brown University/Butler Hospital
Supervisor(s):
Lauren Weinstock, Ph.D., Primary Supervisor
Jennifer Primack, Ph.D.
Ivan Miller, Ph.D.
Description of Site
This position will be based out of the Brown-Based Research Group (BBRG) of the Department of Psychiatry and
Human Behavior. In addition to Dr. Weinstock, the BBRG is comprised of 6 academic psychologists, 1 academic
psychiatrist, 2 biostatisticians, 2 postdoctoral fellows in psychology, and their research staff. There are also 3
administrative and support staff and 1 Information Technology Specialist on site. Research in this group is funded by NIH
grants, awards from private foundations, and several subcontracts on NIH grants from other affiliated institutions. Brown
University leases 9,000 square feet of office space, especially designed for research, on the Butler Hospital campus.
Butler Hospital is a 158-bed private psychiatric and substance abuse hospital located in Providence, Rhode Island and is
a primary training site for the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. Several collaborative research groups with
specialty research programs in mood disorders, addictions, OCD, and other topics are housed at Butler. Although formally
based out of Brown, this position will be affiliated with one of these research groups, the Psychosocial Research
Program. Currently, this research team is comprised of 7 academic psychologists, 1 academic psychiatrist, 2 postdoctoral
fellows in psychology, and their research staff.
Opportunities for related clinical work will also be available at the Providence VA Medical Center, which provides
services for Veterans in RI, southeastern MA, and eastern CT. The medical center has 238 beds, 250,000 outpatient visits
per year and is adding greater than 400-500 new patients per month. The Providence VAMC is a part of VISN 1 that
includes facilities in RI, CT, MA, VT, NH and ME. The Research Service includes a RR&D Center for Neurorestoration
and Neurotechnology (CfNN), an HSR&D Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) as well as dedicated research
space for ongoing clinical trials of PTSD and suicide prevention interventions.
Fellowship Aims
1. To provide the fellow with broad post-doctoral training in the area of suicide prevention research and
services.
2. To provide the fellow with a strong working knowledge of issues involved in the detection and treatment of
suicide risk and behaviors during vulnerable transitional periods (i.e., from jail into the community and from
inpatient to outpatient treatment settings).
3. To provide the fellow with research training and experience that will provide a foundation for entrance into a
clinical research career.
Fellowship Timeline
The duration of the fellowship is 2 years, contingent upon satisfactory progress. The anticipated start date is July or
August of 2016.
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Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: RESEARCH FOCUS
Research Activity Plan (77.5%)
The fellow will be exposed to various aspects of suicide prevention research via participation in the following activities:

Study Coordination (30%): The fellow will assist Dr. Weinstock with coordination of a large, randomized
controlled effectiveness trial of a brief Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) delivered to jail detainees who
screen positive for suicide risk, and who are followed up to 12 months post-release. This is a two-site NIHfunded study, with recruitment sites in Cranston, RI and Flint, MI. The fellow will assist with study
coordination at the Brown site, with regular communication with collaborating study staff at the
Flint/Michigan State University site.

Supervision of Community Clinicians (27.5%): The fellow will assist in the ongoing supervision of masterslevel community clinicians who will be providing the brief Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) to jail
detainees. This supervision will include formal training in SPI, routine review of audio recordings of study
intervention sessions, and delivery of clinician feedback in weekly group supervision, led by Dr. Weinstock.
The fellow will also participate in monthly telephone calls with the team of study investigators (including the
two lead developers of SPI) to review ongoing issues related to intervention delivery within the context of a
large effectiveness trial.

Grant writing (10%): The fellow will be given the opportunity to develop a grant idea to advance his/her
independent research interests, and to submit the grant proposal by the end of the fellowship term. This
activity is optional. If the fellow does not write a grant during the fellowship, this time can be allocated to
manuscript preparation or involvement in other relevant research studies affiliated with the Psychosocial
Research Program.

Manuscript preparation and submission (10%): As part of the fellow’s own independent area of
specialization, the fellow will be encouraged to collaborate on manuscript preparation and poster submissions
at relevant national conferences. Individually tailored goals will be established in this area.
Clinical Activity Plan (12.5%)
Opportunities for additional clinical experience will be provided as part of the position. Specifically, the fellow will have
the opportunity to participate as a study therapist and/or interviewer on one or more of the active clinical research studies
being conducted by the sponsoring Supervisors. These opportunities may include: (1) a randomized controlled trial of a
moderate intensity, telephone-based intervention for suicide prevention in high-risk Veterans making the transition from
inpatient to outpatient treatment in the VA setting; (2) a randomized controlled trial of a similar moderate-intensity
intervention for suicide prevention in high-risk adults making the transition from inpatient to community treatment in the
Butler Hospital setting.

Treatment services: YES

Clinical assessment: YES
Path toward licensure: YES
Didactics (10%)
Post-Doctoral Seminars: The fellow will participate in the following post-doctoral seminars through the Brown Post
Doctoral Training Program.
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)
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Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: RESEARCH FOCUS
Optional Didactics:
Special Topics in Statistics and Research Methods
Academic Friday – Grantsmanship seminars
Supervision and Evaluation
Dr. Weinstock will serve as the overall primary supervisor and mentor. Supervision will be provided in the form of
weekly individual supervision sessions with Dr. Weinstock; at times, Dr. Miller will also attend. Clinical supervision will
also be provided in the form of weekly individual or group supervision, led by Drs. Weinstock and Primack, and at times
Dr. Miller. The fellow may receive additional clinical supervision from other licensed psychologists affiliated with the
Butler Hospital Psychosocial Research Program. The fellow will receive a minimum of 2 hours per week of clinical
supervision.
Every 6 months, for the duration of the fellowship, the fellow and the supervisors will provide formal evaluations, and
evaluations of the program relative to the goals and learning objectives of the fellowship.
Resource Requirements
Fellow will be provided with the following resources:





Access to space to complete research responsibilities
A computer and project specific software
Internet access
Telephone
$500 per year toward the fellow’s travel, as needed to present at relevant scientific conferences
Reporting and approval
This fellowship will be part of the Adult Track. The position has been discussed and approved by the Adult track faculty
in their monthly meeting of xx/xx/xx.
_____________________________________
Postdoctoral Fellowship Track Coordinator
______________________________________
Associate Director for Investigator Funded Fellowship Positions/NIH Funded Fellowship Positions
______________________________________
Director, Brown Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
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