VALB Postdoc Brochure 2025-2026

Updated July 11, 2024

The Medical Psychology Outpatient/Consultation and Liaison (C&L) inpatient elective rotation provides Fellows with the opportunity to work with Veterans experiencing psychological distress in the context of chronic medical conditions. Patient referrals come from a variety of medical teams in the VA, including internal medicine, oncology, orthopedics, cardiology, palliative/hospice care, transplant services, pulmonology, etc. The patient population is diverse with medical conditions such as recent amputations, cancer, stroke, heart attack, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) post-Covid complications, and many others. Patient concerns are predominantly adjustment to illness or injury, coping with/processing terminal diagnoses, experiencing depression/anxiety in response to co-occurring medical conditions and surgeries, and managing complex treatment side effects. Fellows have the opportunity to provide pre- surgical transplant (kidney, lung, stem cell) mental health/cognitive evaluations on an outpatient basis. Fellows also have the opportunity to work as a consultant to Acute Medicine teams doing exciting, fast-paced consult-liaison work with medical inpatients and their multidimensional care teams, consisting of physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, and chaplains. Opportunities through C&L include a balance of brief interventions, cognitive assessments, capacity evaluations, behavioral management, and interdisciplinary team consultation with a focus on assisting issues that are actively impacting patients ’ hospital stay and discharge planning. Medical Psychology Outpatient service: virtual schedule is possible if preferred for fellow. C&L Psychology Inpatient service requires Fellow to be on site; please note C&L requires ambulating to multiple locations across our large VA hospital campus. Please feel free to reach out to supervisor to discuss any questions/concerns. **PLEASE NOTE: The Postdoctoral Fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology was granted Specialty Accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation in 2020. The next site will be held in 2028.

Clinical Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship (Specialty Accredited) Supervisors: Spring Flores Johnson, Ph.D., Christine Kim, Ph.D., and Erin Moniz, Ph.D.

The goal of the Clinical Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship is to provide training that will prepare a doctoral-level psychologist to function at an advanced level and independently as a licensed- and board-certification-eligible Clinical Neuropsychologist working with an adult population at a VA or other health care setting. The Neuropsychology Clinic provides neuropsychological assessment for Veterans across the adult lifespan with a range of referrals. Veterans have a broad range of injuries, disabilities, and chronic health conditions. These may include mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, other causes of dementia, encephalopathy, stroke, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury (TBI), polytrauma, motor disorders, neuromuscular and autoimmune disorders, other CNS neurological disorders, and related disorders. Veterans often present with co-morbid

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