VA Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment

VA Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (MIRT)

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN 20) Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (NW MIRECC), located on the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC) campus, part of the VA Portland Healthcare System (VAPORHCS), is home to a postdoctoral fellowship that is part of VA's Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (MIRT). VA's teaching mission and clinical learning environment prepare the next generation of health professionals. The NW MIRECC research center located at VAPORHCS is affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). Over the course of the two-year program, fellows are trained in clinical and health systems research, advanced clinical care service delivery, and program administration in an interdisciplinary setting.

The primary goal of the NW MIRECC Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship program is to train and equip physicians, psychologists, and other allied health professionals with the knowledge and expertise to lead clinical research efforts that make lasting contributions in the lives of Veterans experiencing mental health challenges. Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows of the two-year postdoctoral training program at VAPORHCS, in collaboration with their mentors, develop and implement research projects, publish and present findings, write grants, and utilize the latest technology for educational activities and clinical service delivery. Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows devote 75% of their time to research and education activities and 25% to direct patient care and clinical consultation.

The NW MIRECC Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship site is linked electronically to other national MIRECC sites for didactic, academic, and research efforts. NW MIRECC Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship training opportunities: 

1. Participation in weekly research-oriented videoconferences with fellows from the national VA Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment.
2. Collaboration with clinical researchers who share a common interest in polytrauma, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.
3. Presentation of research to various disciplines of health practitioners in academic and community settings and the MIRECC Presents videoconference series.
4. Participation in the design and implementation of CME conferences and distance learning programs for VA and non-VA professional staff, and programs for Veterans and their families, throughout the Pacific Northwest.
5. Optional participation in OHSU Human Investigations Program (HIP), which offers an integrated clinical and translational research education curriculum and results in a Certificate in Human Investigations.
6. Training opportunities with the VA Portland’s PTSD Clinical Team (PCT), a multidisciplinary outpatient team that provides evidence-based treatments to Veterans experiencing PTSD related to their military service. Postdoctoral fellows have the opportunity to provide individual and group psychotherapy, supervise doctoral-level trainees, and actively participate in weekly team meetings and PTSD consultation as junior colleagues.

Advanced Fellowships directly impact the health care leadership pipeline for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Nation through specialized training relevant to health care priorities. In some instances, the program may be extended for a third year to further develop advanced competencies in clinical research.

NW MIRECC substantially enhances the capacity and potential of VISN 20 to generate and disseminate new knowledge about mental illness and treatments. VAPORHCS serves Veterans in Oregon and Southwest Washington with two main divisions: Portland VA Medical Center and Vancouver VA Medical Center. Situated on a 450-foot-tall basalt-rock hill; Portland VA Medical Center and academic-affiliate OHSU, are physically connected by a 660-foot enclosed pedestrian sky bridge. Connected both physically and through academic partnerships, shared research endeavors, healthcare training, and shared staff including scientists, clinician-educators, and clinician-researchers. NW MIRECC collaborates and consults with other MIRECCs and Centers of Excellence, as well as with other VA, federal, state and community agencies to disseminate best practice treatments and current research findings related to PTSD and associated conditions. 

To Educate for VA and the Nation

As one of four statutory missions, VA educates and trains health professionals to enhance the quality of and timely access to care provided to Veterans within VHA's healthcare system. To achieve this mission, "To educate for VA and the Nation", the VA has conducted health professions education and training in partnership with affiliated U.S. academic institutions for the past 78 years in accordance with the landmark 1946 Policy Memorandum No. 2. Title 38 U.S.C. Section 7302 mandates that VA assist in carrying out a “program of education and training of health personnel” for its own needs and those of the nation. The knowledge produced by NW MIRECC research efforts is disseminated through VA's Institute for Learning, Education and Development (ILEAD) platform and face-to-face educational offerings, and directly implemented in clinics throughout the Northwest and throughout the country.

Overseen by the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), this mandate spurred the significant growth in the depth and breadth of health professions education in the VA, which is now the largest provider of health professions education and training and second largest funder of graduate medical education in the United States. Including MIRECC, there are over twenty (20) types of Advanced Fellowships & Professional Development are available in locations across the United States. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae using the contact. Advanced Fellowships & Professional Development programs offer post-residency, post-doctoral, nursing and post-masters fellowships to physicians and dentists, and associated health professions, including psychologists, social workers and pharmacists. Through hands-on, mentored educational experiences, trainees develop skills in specific clinical areas and gain experience in policy development, system redesign and research methodology. Advanced Fellowship programs are available for clinical and non-clinical health care professions. The Advanced Fellowship portfolio aligns with high-impact educational priority areas for the care of our nation’s Veterans in the areas of health care improvement, advanced clinical practice, research, quality improvement, policy and administration.

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Today's VHA - the largest of the three administrations that comprise the VA - continues to meet Veterans' changing medical, surgical, and quality-of-life needs. VHA is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. There are 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) in VHA operating as regional systems of care to better meet local health care needs and provides greater access to care. Spanning 23% of the US land mass, VISN 20 is the largest geographic region of VA. In the Pacific Northwest, VISN 20 serves Veterans in 135 counties in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Operating across three time zones over 817,417 square miles, VISN 20 is home to 273 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes. VISN 20 also serves Veterans in Del Norte and Siskiyou counties of California and Lincoln County Montana.

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1. Veterans with a service-connected (SC) disability rated at 50% or more.
2. Veterans seeking care for a disability the military determined was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, but which VA has not yet rated, within 12 months of discharge.
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Find out how to apply for VA health care benefits as a Veteran or service member. For other mental health services, contact a VA medical center for information on eligibility and treatment options.

Vet Centers in VISN 20

Vet Centers in the VISN 20 Health Care Network are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active-duty Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families. 1-877-WAR-VETS is an around the clock confidential call center where Veterans, service members and their families can talk about their military experience or any other issue they are facing in transitioning after military service or trauma and get connected to their nearest Vet Center.

Plan your trip to VA

In 1946, Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) was established by law to provide comfort and well-being to America’s Veterans. With our many retail stores, cafés and coffee shops across the country, we serve those who have served our country. We are a self-sustaining entity providing merchandise and services to Veterans enrolled in VA’s healthcare system, their families, caregivers, VA employees, volunteers and visitors. We are honored to give back to the VA community through many programs established for the health and well-being of our nation’s heroes. Revenues generated from VCS are used to support a variety of programs, such as VA’s Rehabilitation Games, Fisher Houses, Poly-Trauma Centers for OIF/OEF/OND Veterans, disaster relief efforts, Substance Abuse Cessation, VA’s Homelessness initiatives, Women Veterans, Veteran Suicide Prevention and other activities.

Hospital Service Directory

To find out whether there is a van near you use the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Hospital Service Coordinator Directory to contact your nearest HSC for information or assistance. Please remember that the DAV Transportation Network is staffed by volunteers; therefore, it is unable to cover every community.