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Postdoc Description
Psychotic Disorders Postdoctoral Fellowship - 2013-2014

The Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior of the Medical College of Georgia in Georgia Regents University is seeking a qualified candidate for a full-time, one or two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Psychotic Disorders. The person that we are seeking must hold an MD, DO, or an equivalent with completed residency training in psychiatry, or a Ph.D. in clinical/counseling psychology and have completed an APA accredited predoctoral internship/residency. All candidates are expected to be board certifiable or licensable.

The Psychotics Disorders Fellowship blends clinical service/program development (70%) and research (30%) activities that are focused primarily around collaborative clinical and research projects involving the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior and East Central Regional Hospital (ECRH). The project efforts are directed towards the provision of psychiatric care for people with severe mental illnesses receiving care at a state psychiatric facility. The treatment programs are based on the commitment of the GRU/ECRH partnership to develop and provide cutting edge treatment services that would improve the overall clinical picture, functional status, and community outcomes of hospitalized individuals.

The postdoctoral fellow will work collaboratively with other psychiatrists and psychologists to provide comprehensive treatment services for schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses. The fellow will provide psychopharmacological and/or psychological services as a member of a multidisciplinary team at ECRH. The fellow’s clinical duties will also include completing assessments of psychotic symptoms using diagnostic interviews and clinician rating scales, neurocognitive functioning using standardized neurocognitive assessment batteries, and functional status using performance-based tools and clinician-rated scales of daily living skills. Clinical duties will include the evaluation of treatment refractory status, identification of psychiatric and medical comorbidities that contribute to treatment resistance, and assessment of personal/social factors that may reduce the likelihood of treatment success. The postdoctoral fellow will participate in administrative duties that include recruitment, management of referrals, coordination of treatment plans, and oversight of the implementation of psychopharmacological treatment monitoring guidelines.

The fellow is expected to collaborate with researchers in the department on ongoing research projects. The department has several active studies focused on evaluating the benefits of treatments for schizophrenia and major mood disorders, identifying the biomarker correlates of relapse and remission in schizophrenia, and understanding the neurobiology of schizophrenia. It is expected that the fellow will participate in the preparation, completion, and submission of manuscripts for publication in scientific journals, and in the preparation of grant applications.

In summary, the fellowship will involve program development and research in regard to implementation of clinical services at East Central Georgia Regional Hospital. An offer of a second year of the fellowship is contingent on good performance during the first year of the fellowship. The department offers a competitive stipend for the fellowship and a raise will be negotiated for a second year of the fellowship. Preferred start date is July 15, 2013 although a later start can be negotiated based on completion of requirements for graduation.

To apply send a letter of application that addresses the applicant's position qualifications, service/research interests, a curriculum vita, and three letters of reference to: Dr. Alex Mabe, Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, 30912-3800. (Phone: 706-721-8812; Email: amabe@gru.edu) Medical College of Georgia is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. The Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior is committed to a record of inclusion of minorities and women in developing and maintaining a diverse faculty. Therefore, we strongly encourage women and members of minority groups to apply.

Goals for the Fellowship

1. To train fellow to function effectively in inpatient community mental health care setting - with an emphasis on being able to work effectively with interdisciplinary care teams and to engage in community treatment planning and implementation.

2. To develop a working knowledge of the core psychiatric disorders associated with serious mental illness. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding serious mental illness in regard to diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, and empirically supported treatment models.

3. Treatment. To train the fellow in the principles and practices of comprehensive care for schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses to include medication management, psychosocial rehabilitation, peer-led interventions, and case management. The fellow will develop competencies in rapid assessment, de-escalation/stabilization, and triaging in dealing with individuals with acute psychiatric conditions, the fellow will become proficient in:

A. Treatment engagement skills - able to effectively use motivational interviewing and shared decision-making.

B. Medication management- stabilization and maintenance of acute psychosis, treatments for chronic schizophrenia, poly-pharmacy, side effect monitoring, and implementation of clozapine guidelines for treatment refractory schizophrenia.

C. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services (e.g., cognitive therapy, cognitive remediation, social skills training, etc.).

D. Application of the recovery principles of empowerment, holistic care, support, and hope in addressing the stresses of serious/chronic illness.

4. General Assessments. The goal of this component of the specialty training is to prepare the fellow in the fundamental methods of assessment including the administration and interpretation of clinical rating scales, diagnostic interviews, and performance-based tests in the service of the identification of problems and targets for community treatment planning.

5. Under the mentorship of departmental faculty, the fellow will participate in ongoing research projects pertaining to services for individuals with serious mental illness and take the lead to write and submit manuscripts (chapters or jou