Physician Research Postdoctoral Fellowship

 

Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (Philadelphia)
3900 Woodland Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19104
https://www.va.gov/philadelphia-health-care/ 

Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment

Description

A 2-year physician research Postdoctoral fellowship position is anticipated to be available starting September of 2027. Potential areas of emphasis for this position include integrated behavioral health/primary care, genetics/pharmacology, addiction, sleep disorders, PTSD, and psychosocial factors in chronic illness (See Faculty list below). We are especially interested in candidates who will be able to apply their content area interests to a precision mental health approach to the treatment of mental health conditions, consistent with the theme of our Center (www.mirecc.va.gov/visn4/). This includes consideration of ongoing measurement to drive treatment decisions, biomarkers (e.g., genetic variants in treatment), patient treatment preferences, and decision aids for clinicians in mood and addictive disorders. The Fellowship operates within the Philadelphia Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center in the Corporal Michael J Crescenz VA Medical Center. Two options are available: a full-time fellowship entails 75% research and 25% clinical training, while it is also possible to choose a part-time (at least 50%) option of research only. Because this is a research fellowship, it is not accredited by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as an addiction fellowship. The goals of the Fellowship are to provide mentored experience in research design, publication of research reports, grant writing, and supervised clinical training. For qualified applicants, the position includes an appointment in the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pennsylvania.

Research Interests and Faculty

Fellowship faculty members and their research interest are as follows: 

• Christal Davis, Ph.D. (genetics of chronic pain and substance use disorders)
• Lauren DiPaolo, Ph.D. (comorbidity of PTSD and substance use disorders and ecological momentary assessment/passive sensing methods)
• Phillip Gehrman, Ph.D. (sleep and mental health)
• Emily Hartwell, Ph.D. (substance use disorders, pharmacogenetics, and clinical trials)
• Rachel Kember, Ph.D. (computational genetics, electronic health records, and biomedical informatics)
• Henry Kranzler, M.D. (genetics, pharmacological treatment and pharmacogenetics of alcohol and drug dependence)
• David Oslin, M.D. (treatment outcomes for addictive disorders, pharmacogenetics of mental health conditions, primary care/mental health integration)
• Cobb Scott, Ph.D. (neuropsychology/neuroimaging in PTSD and alcohol/substance dependence, comorbidity)
• Michael Thase, M.D. (treatment-resistant depression, treatment-resistant PTSD, assessment and treatment of mood disorders, psychedelic treatments)
• Daniel Weintraub, M.D. (psychiatric and cognitive complications of Parkinson’s disease). 

Additional faculty members of the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pennsylvania are available as supporting mentors for Fellows. 

Requirements and Application Process 

Applicants must be physicians who are eligible for licensure, have completed training in an accredited residency program, and are U.S. citizens. The application deadline is December 1, 2026, but the review of applications will start at the time of receipt so you are encouraged to submit your application prior to that time. Send a letter detailing your research interests and career goals, likely mentors to whom you might match, CV, 3 letters of recommendation, and any representative reprints, manuscripts, or grant applications to Henry Kranzler, M.D., Physician Fellowship Director at henry.kranzler@va.gov. Inquiries can be made by email or by calling Dr. Kranzler at (215) 746-1943. For more about the fellowship and the Philadelphia MIRECC: http://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn4/Education/fellowship.asp. The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center (Philadelphia) in which our training program resides is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring a range of diversity among our training classes and we encourage candidates from different kinds of programs and backgrounds to apply.