Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
University of Utah School of Medicine
Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Program Description
Mission and Goals
The postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology in the Division of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Utah School of Medicine is a
two-year fellowship offering the specialized training necessary for independent
practice as a board-eligible neuropsychologist with sub-specialized
competency in evaluating and treating rehabilitation patients.
The clinical and educational experiences of the fellowship are modeled after
guidelines identified by the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and
Training in Clinical Neuropsychology. In addition to clinical training, the
fellowship also fosters engagement in research relevant to clinical outcomes
and enhanced patient care.
Program Administrative Structure
The clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship is offered by the
neuropsychology service in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Primary
training opportunities will occur with the two neuropsychologists in physical
medicine and rehabilitation. Minor rotations are available in other SOM areas
including the Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry as well as in
the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah.
Setting and Training Facilities
The primary training location is the outpatient physical medicine and
rehabilitation clinic located in the rehabilitation center of the University of Utah
Hospital, which is a 528-bed level 1 trauma center serving a multistate
catchment area. Additional locations include the inpatient rehabilitation unit
and the outpatient rehabilitation therapy clinic in which a neuropsychologist is
collocated with other medical and rehabilitation therapy (i.e., occupational,
physical, and speech therapy) providers.
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The neuropsychology fellow will have office and testing space including testing
equipment, computers, and other supplies. The neuropsychology fellow will
have access to library and other campus facilities at the University of Utah.
Links for more information on the clinical and academic setting:
University of Utah Hospital
- www.healthcare.utah.edu/hospital/
Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
- www.medicine.utah.edu/pmr/
Rehabilitation Clinic in Sugarhouse
- www.healthcare.utah.edu/rehab/sugarhouse-clinic/
University of Utah
- www.utah.edu/
Client Population Served
The clinic setting within physical medicine and rehabilitation provides ample
opportunity for conducting outpatient and inpatient neuropsychological
evaluation and intervention in cases involving traumatic brain injury, stroke,
spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and other neurologic disorders.
Referrals outside of physical medicine and rehabilitation allow for breadth in
presenting complaints with evaluations addressing questions related to attention
problems, dementia, and psychiatric versus neurologic differential diagnosis.
University of Utah Health serves a large catchment area covering Utah and
portions of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming.
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Training Activities
This postdoctoral fellowship follows guidelines outlined by the Houston
Conference, APPCN, and ABPP-CN. According to these recommendations, the
core components of postdoctoral training in neuropsychology include:
Length of residency of 2 years
At least 50% of time in provision of clinical neuropsychology services
At least 10% of time in clinical research activities
At least 10% of time in educational activities
Clinical Training
Clinical responsibilities will account for at least 50% of the time during the
neuropsychology fellowship. These duties will include direct patient care (i.e.,
interviewing, test administration, feedback, and psychotherapy), scoring and
interpretation of neuropsychological tests, report writing, consulting with referral
sources, treatment planning, and consulting with other treatment team
members. The neuropsychology fellow will be expected to complete 2-3
neuropsychological evaluations per week that will include focused inpatient
evaluations and comprehensive outpatient evaluations.
Inpatient neuropsychological evaluations are conducted according to
evidence based models for efficiently addressing questions related to
treatment, discharge planning, and various capacities (i.e., decision making,
financial management, etc.). Patients evaluated on an inpatient basis have
sustained stroke, traumatic brain injury, or polytrauma (e.g., traumatic brain and
spinal cord injury), or have demonstrated cognitive and behavioral signs
concerning for a possible neurodegenerative condition underlying the
admitting rehabilitation diagnosis.
Outpatient evaluations are conducted according to a flexible battery
approach designed to quantify cognitive and emotional status efficiently. The
neuropsychology service strives to provide same-day feedback to patients and
families, quick turnaround on reports, and timely contact with referral sources.
Referrals from within physical medicine and rehabilitation comprise the majority
of cases with common presenting diagnoses including traumatic brain injury
and concussion, stroke and other cerebrovascular events (e.g., aneurysm),
polytrauma, central nervous system tumors, and multiple sclerosis. In addition, a
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substantial number of cases are seen in which the referral question involves
differential diagnosis of neurologic (i.e., epilepsy or brain injury) versus psychiatric
contributions (i.e., somatic or functional neurologic symptom disorders) to
neurobehavioral dysfunction.
Outside referral sources include primary care, neurology, neurosurgery, and
psychiatry. Cases from outside referrals often present with the aforementioned
diagnoses but also afford opportunities for evaluations addressing attention
disorders, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and movement disorders.
Additional evaluations are conducted in a medicolegal context including
clinical cases involving workers compensation, disability claims, and/or litigation
as well as independent neuropsychological evaluations conducted in
consultation to attorneys, insurance companies, and the Utah Labor
Commission.
Neuropsychological intervention is an important component of the fellowship. In
addition to timely provision of feedback to patients and their families, which is
considered an interventional aspect of neuropsychological evaluation, residents
will be expected to carry an intervention caseload of 1 to 3 patients. These
intervention cases might involve behavior modification, solution-focused
psychotherapy targeting issues common in rehabilitation patients, family
intervention, and cognitive remediation.
Research and Scholarly Work
The neuropsychology fellow will have a minimum of 10% time dedicated to
research activity. The resident will be encouraged to use existing local clinical
datasets for developing relevant project ideas feasible for completion during
the two-year program. During the first year of the fellowship, the fellow will be
expected to submit an abstract for presentation at a national conference. By
the end of the fellowship, the fellow will be expected to submit a manuscript for
publication based on research initiated during the program.
Research support for the neuropsychology fellowship includes the fellowship
administrative liaison and part-time research assistants. Additional resources in
physical medication and rehabilitation include several full time research staff
members and research faculty. Research design and statistical consultation is
available through the University of Utah Study Design and Biostatistics Center.
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Research interests among the primary neuropsychology faculty include
performance and symptom validity, evaluation and treatment of concussion in
athletes, prediction of functional outcomes after stroke, and practical
effectiveness of neuropsychological evaluation (i.e., cost effectiveness, health
related quality of life). Collaborating faculty and colleagues are engaged in a
wide range of research activities. If a resident identifies a strong interest in
working with one or more of these individuals, the core faculty will facilitate a
relationship with the primary investigator or research team.
Educational Experiences and Didactics
The neuropsychology fellow will engage in a variety of didactic
and other educational experiences including neuropsychology
didactics by core and collaborating faculty; neuropsychology
case conferences; physical medicine and rehabilitation
resident didactics as relevant; other psychology fellowship
didactics as relevant; grand rounds in physical medicine and
rehabilitation, neurology, psychiatry, and other departments.
These educational activities will account for at least 10% of
weekly time during the two-year program.
Neuropsychology didactics will occur on a weekly or biweekly basis and will
involve required readings and presentations by core and collaborating faculty
on topics fundamental to the attainment of specialized competency in
neuropsychology. Didactic topics include:
Neuroanatomy, neuropathology, and neuroimaging
Psychopharmacology
Neurobehavioral syndromes
Neuropsychological profiles of neurologic disorders
Neuropsychological profiles of non-neurologic disorders with
neurobehavioral sequelae
Neuropsychological evaluation in a rehabilitation setting
Neuropsychological test selection and battery development
Neuropsychological intervention
Neuropsychological research methods
Ethics
Forensic consultation
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Cultural and diversity issues
Professional development
Practice development
Neuropsychology case conferences are offered through the Department of
Psychology and the Department of Psychiatry on quarterly and monthly basis,
respectively. These conferences involve presentations of clinical cases or
clinically relevant topics by neuropsychologists or neuropsychology graduate
students. Case presentations often use a fact-finding format.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation resident didactics occur on Thursday
mornings (8 a.m. to noon) throughout the academic year. Topics relevant to the
neuropsychology resident might include presentations by attending physicians
on stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury including epidemiologic
and diagnostic issues, pharmacotherapy, and rehabilitation therapies.
Additional psychology postdoctoral fellows in the University of Utah include the
rehabilitation psychology fellowship and several fellowship positions at the Salt
Lake City VA. The didactic schedule for these trainees will occasionally include
topics relevant to the neuropsychology fellow.
Grand rounds are offered in all medical school departments and the
neuropsychology fellow will be encouraged to attend them as the topics are
relevant to neuropsychology. Physical medicine and rehabilitation grand rounds
occur monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 a.m. Neurology grand
rounds occur on Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Neurosurgery grand rounds occur on
Wednesday at 7 a.m. Psychiatry grand rounds occur at 12 p.m. on the first and
third Wednesday of the month.
Supervision
Supervision will include both formal and informal components. Formal
supervision will involve at least two hours of individual, in-person supervision each
week. Informal supervision will occur as needed.
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Additional Clinical and Research Opportunities
Additional clinical and research
opportunities may be available
depending on the interests and
goals of the neuropsychology fellow.
The University of Utah offers a wide
range of potential collaborators and
resources ranging from study design
and statistical consultation to
commercialization and
entrepreneurial resources.
Evaluation Procedures
On entry to the program, the fellow will complete a self-assessment following
Houston Conference guidelines that will be used to identify gaps in training and
educational experience so additional training experiences can be targeted to
any identified areas of weakness.
Neuropsychology fellows will undergo formal evaluation every six months. The
evaluation will use a standardized form covering clinical, research, and
educational activities. Fellows will complete evaluations of the training program
at six-month intervals including a final exit interview prior to graduating from the
fellowship.
Fellows identified as requiring additional assistance will be supported through an
individual program that may include additional one-on-one training and
supervision in areas of identified weakness and/or completion of additional
readings related to areas of identified weakness. Selection, appointment,
dismissal, and grievance procedures will follow University of Utah procedures as
outlined in policy documents relevant to postdoctoral fellows.
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Salary and Benefits
Year 1: $48,804
Year 2: $49,188
Neuropsychology postdoctoral fellows will receive group health insurance and
other benefits through the University of Utah. For a full description of University of
Utah benefits see: http://www.hr.utah.edu/
Neuropsychology postdoctoral fellows will have 15 days of vacation time each
year in addition to national and local holidays. Sick time is accrued at the rate
of 8 hours per month. Educational leave for conferences is available by request.
Conference/educational funds: $2000 annually. In addition, neuropsychology
fellows are eligible to apply for travel assistance funding of up to $500 offered
through the University of Utah Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
Entry Criteria
Candidates are invited to apply who will have completed an APA-accredited
doctoral program and internship. All degree requirements must be completed
prior to starting fellowship. In addition to the general requirements of accredited
clinical psychology doctoral programs (e.g., psychopathology, interview and
assessment techniques, research methods, statistics, etc.), competitive
applicants will have completed additional graduate coursework and/or other
documented educational experiences in many of the following areas: brain-
behavior relationships, functional neuroanatomy, neurologic disorders, and
psychopharmacology.
The strongest candidates will also have demonstrated clinical training
experiences in neuropsychology at the practicum and internship level.
Preference will be given to applicants who are completing internship at a site
identified as meeting Houston Conference or Division 40 internship training
criteria (i.e., major rotation or combination of minor rotations allowing significant
time devoted to training in neuropsychology as well as neuropsychology
didactic and/or research experiences) with documented report-writing
experience.
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Application Procedures
The program is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical
Neuropsychology (APPCN). The program participates in the APPCN match and
adheres to rules and procedures as described on the APPCN and match web
sites. According to match guidelines: “This residency site agrees to abide by the
APPCN policy that no person at this facility will solicit, accept, or use any
ranking-related information from any residency applicant.”
To apply, please submit application materials by January 6, 2020.
Interviews will be conducted at the 2020 annual meeting of the International
Neuropsychological Society (INS) in Denver, both on the pre-conference
interview day, February 4, 2020, and as needed throughout the conference.
Telephone interviews may be conducted on an as-needed basis for individuals
who are unable to attend INS.
Application materials (submit by email or mail):
1. Cover letter outlining your interest in the program and professional goals
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Graduate transcript(s)
4. APPCN Verification of completion of doctorate form
5. Two de-identified neuropsychological reports
6. Three recommendation letters
Contact information for applications and/or questions:
Jeremy J. Davis, Psy.D., ABPP
Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 1R55
30 North, 1900 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84132
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 801-581-2932
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Faculty
Core faculty supervise clinical rotations in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Collaborating faculty enhance the training opportunities by offering additional
clinical rotations in pediatrics, neurology, and psychiatry, leading didactics, and
providing research mentorship.
Jeremy J. Davis, Psy.D., ABPP. Dr. Davis is an associate professor
clinical in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
and the Director of the Neuropsychology Fellowship. His clinical
work is focused on neuropsychological evaluation of individuals
with a history of traumatic brain injury, stroke, and other
neurologic disorders.
Summer Rolin, Psy.D. Dr. Rolin is an assistant professor clinical in
the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the
Assistant Director of the Neuropsychology Fellowship. She has
developed assessment and intervention clinics focused on
concussion and mild traumatic brain injury with a focus on
athletes.
Katherine Kitchen Andren, Ph.D. Dr. Kitchen Andren is an assistant
professor clinical in the Division of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation. She has developed an inpatient assessment
focused practice on the rehabilitation unit, and has outpatient
specialty interests with memory disorders, as well as behavioral
intervention.
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Collaborating Faculty
Gordon Chelune, Ph.D., ABPP. Dr. Chelune is a professor in the
Department of Neurology. He will participate in didactics and
informal discussions about professional development and the
evolution of the field from the perspective of national and
international organizations.
Kevin Duff, Ph.D., ABPP. Dr. Duff is a tenured Professor in the
Department of Neurology. He conducts research in clinical
neuropsychology, aging, and dementia. He is available to
supervise evaluations on patients with a variety of neurological
conditions within the Cognitive Disorders Clinic in the center for
Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging, and Research. He is also more than
happy to discuss research and professional development,
covering a range of topics.
Lindsay Embree, Ph.D. Dr. Embree is an assistant professor clinical
in the Department of Neurology. She is available to supervise
evaluations on patients with a variety of neurological conditions
within the Cognitive Disorders Clinic in the center for Alzheimer’s
Care, Imaging, and Research
Matt Euler, Ph.D. Dr. Euler is an assistant professor in the
Department of Psychology. Opportunities with Dr. Euler include
co-supervision of graduate students, research, and teaching
opportunities.
John Fulton, Ph.D., ABPP. Dr. Fulton is an assistant professor clinical
in the Department of Pediatrics. His clinical interests include
assessment of pediatric patients with acquired brain injuries,
epilepsy, brain tumor, and congenital malformations.
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Scott Langenecker, Ph.D. Dr. Langenecker is a professor in the
Department of Psychiatry. His research and clinical work focuses
on the translational cognitive neuroscience of mood disorders
across the lifespan with a current focus on the late adolescent
translational period in which risk for mood disorders is at a peak.
Shizuko Morimoto, Psy.D. Dr. Morimoto is an associate professor in
the Department of Psychiatry. She is offering a minor rotation in
cognitive remediation and will contribute to relevant didactics.
Lonnie Schneider, Ph.D. Dr. Schneider is a research assistant
professor in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
His interests include mitochondrial function, nitric oxide biology,
inflammation and utilization of complex datasets to predict novel
and testable outcomes in the laboratory.
Yana Suchy, Ph.D., ABPP. Dr. Suchy is a professor in the
Department of Psychology. Opportunities with Dr. Suchy include
co-supervision of graduate students, research, and teaching
opportunities.
Rendering of the Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital under construction
at the University of Utah.