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). 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.

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. 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.

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. VAPORHCS serves Veterans in Oregon and Southwest Washington with two main divisions: Portland VA Medical Center and Vancouver VA Medical Center. Partners since 1948, Portland VA Medical Center and OHSU are situated on a 450-foot-tall basalt-rock hill. Connected both physically and through academic partnerships, shared research endeavors, healthcare training, and shared staff including scientists, clinician-educators, and clinician-researchers. The enclosed 660-foot pedestrian skybridge, spanning a 150-foot-deep ravine, is the longest in the United States.

Veterans Integrated Service Network 20 (VISN 20) serves 135 counties in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and extending into Del Norte County California and Lincoln County Montana. VISN 20 is the largest geographic region of VA and home to 273 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes, 229 of which are located in Alaska. Encompassing 23% of the US land mass, VISN 20 spans three time zones over 817,417 square miles. VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) and the Portland VA Health Care System (VAPORHCS) were commissioned by Congress and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as one of the first three Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers (MIRECCs) in the United States. VAPSHCS serves Veterans from a five-state area in the Pacific Northwest with two main divisions: American Lake VA Medical Center and Seattle VA Medical Center. VA Outpatient Clinics and Vet Centers in Washington are located in Bellingham, Bellevue, Bremerton, Chehalis, Edmunds, Everett, Federal Way, Lacey, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup, Richland, Renton, Silverdale, Seattle, Spokane, Union Gap, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, and Yakima. Veterans in Washington are also served by VA Medical Centers in Spokane, Vancouver, and Walla Walla. VAPORHCS serves Veterans in Oregon and Southwest Washington with two main divisions: Portland VA Medical Center and Vancouver VA Medical Center. VA Outpatient Clinics and Vet Centers in Oregon are located in Bend, Boardman, Brookings, Enterprise, Eugene, Fairview, Grants Pass, Hines, Hillsboro, Klamath Falls, LaGrande, Lincoln City, Newport, Portland, Salem, The Dalles, Warrenton, and West Linn. Veterans in Oregon are also served by VA Medical Centers in Roseburg, White City, and Vancouver, Washington.

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VA provides health care for Veterans from providers in the local community outside of VA. Veterans may be eligible to receive care from a community provider when VA cannot provide the care needed. VA launched its new and improved Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) on June 6, 2019, implementing portions of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (MISSION Act), which both ended the Veterans Choice Program and established VCCP. Types of care under the new VCCP include General Community Care, Urgent Care, Emergency Care, Foreign Medical Care, Home Health and Hospice Care, Indian and Tribal Health Services, In Vitro Fertilization, State Veterans Home, and Flu Shots. Veterans work with their VA health care provider or other VA staff to see if they are eligible to receive community care based on new criteria. The VA Community Care Network (CCN) is VA’s direct link with community providers to ensure Veterans receive timely, high-quality care.

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.

Vet Centers in VISN 20

Vet Centers provide counseling to make a successful transition from military to civilian life or after a traumatic event experienced in the military. Individual, group, marriage and family counseling is offered in addition to referral and connection to other VA or community benefits and services. If you can’t make it to a nearby Vet Center, VA offers satellite Vet Center locations and Mobile Vet Centers that may be closer to you.

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VA has a variety of mental health resources, information, treatment options, and more — all accessible to Veterans, Veterans’ supporters, and the general public. Explore the pages below to learn more about a specific mental health topic. Each of these pages includes resources, information on treatment options, and more.

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