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
- Lectures, presentations and trainings offered through the University of Pittsburgh’s nationally recognized Center on Race and Social Problems (prior lectures)
- WPH Grand Rounds and Medicine Grand rounds focused on topics of health equity
- Opportunities to work with faculty focused on health disparities in their programmatic lines of research and to engage with the community of research REACH | University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry
- Training workshops offered by the University of Pittsburgh’s Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Career development support and resources (e.g., grant writing, preparation of publications, mentorship, development of management and leadership skills) through the University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Career Education and Enhancement for Health Care Research Diversity Program
- 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