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Pre-Doctoral Program

The IMPACT pre-doctoral fellowship program is a paid, eight-week research elective offered each year for up to four medical students. Most students complete the fellowship during the summer months between their first and second years of medical school, although other times may be available. Each student is paired with a mentor from our training faculty whose work complements the student’s research interests. Fellows in the program will work on a project that may lead to a scientific presentation and/or a peer-reviewed publishable product. In addition to performing research, fellows also shadow mental health professionals in the clinic.

The program seeks to:

  • Increase exposure of medical students to child psychiatry research
  • Introduce fellows to different research and clinical settings
  • Lay the groundwork for a scholarly project
  • Provide a stepping stone toward a career in academic child psychiatry

Former participants have gone on to prestigious child psychiatry training programs.

Program Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are committed to providing meaningful training opportunities that foster growth in trainees’ cultural competencies to improve patient care, enhance scientific research, and increase advocacy for social justice.

Training Experiences and Resources

Former Predoctoral Fellows

Over the years, IMPACT pre-doctoral fellows have enjoyed selection from a wide variety of research topics in diverse subject areas. In some cases, fellows have worked with multiple faculty mentors in order to broaden the scope of their work. A list of selected previous fellows plus their mentors and project titles is included below.

Salahudeen Mirza

Mentor: Nadine Melhem, PhD

Research Project Title: Programme for the Neurobiology of Stress Response and Suicide Studies

Elyse Mark

Mentor: Heather Joseph, Do

Research Project Title: Measuring Inattention, Impulsivity, Hyperactivity, and Reactivity in infants at High Familial Risk of ADHD.

Research Project Title: Unmasking the Impact of Parent and Coparent ADHD on Postpartum Mental Health.

Lauren Rebel

Mentor: Justin Yu, MD

Research Project Title: Evaluating sibling bereavement care interventions: A qualitative study of children and adolescents attending a week-long peer support camp for bereaved siblings

Morgan Wynkoop

Mentor: Heather Joseph, DO

Research Project Title: Factors Impacting Parenting Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction in Parents with and without ADHD

Pooja Amin

Mentor: Heather Joseph, DO

Research Project Title: ADHD-Related Behaviors in Toddlerhood Predict Peer Problems at Preschool Age

Andrew Nguyen

Mentor: Brian Thoma, PhD

Research Project Title: Adolescent Biology of Stress Study (ABOSS)

Research Project Title: The Gender Minority Youth Study (GMY) 

John Gnalian

Mentor: Traci Kennedy, PhD

Research Project Title: START Smart Project 

Michael Jayson

Mentors: Heather Joseph, DO & Brooke Molina, PhD

Research Project Title: Motor Development in Infants and Toddlers at High or Low Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Grace Noel

Mentor: Lauren Bylsma, PhD

Research Project Title: Moderators of Neural Reward Processing in Adolescents with Differential Risk for Depression

Ksheeraja Sriram

Mentor: Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD

Research Project Title: Effect of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Frontolimbic Functional Connectivity in Youth at Risk for Bipolar Disorder

Lauren Harbaugh

Mentors: Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD & Boris Birmaher, MD

Research Project Title: COVID-19 Adolescent Symptom & Psychological Experience Questionnaire (CASPE) Analysis

Nia Buckner

Mentors: Alison Hipwell, PhD, ClinPsyD & Rachel Kolko Conlon, PhD

Research Project Title: Maternal Chronic Health Conditions & Intergenerational Obesity Risk in Infancy

Tristan Hazebrook

Mentor: Ana Radovic, MD

Research Project Title: SOVA & Screening Wizard