Lifespan Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Fellowship

Overview

Leadership: Amy Letteri, PhD, Melissa Sutcliffe, PhD, ABPP and Ted Allaire Barrios, PhD
Current Fellows: Amy Magallanes, PhD, Xi Yang, PhD

This two-year fellowship offers advanced clinical, didactic, and academic training in the recognized specialty practice of clinical neuropsychology. Graduates of this fellowship will be eligible to pursue licensure as a psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania and board certification process in clinical neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Candidates for this fellowship are expected to have successfully completed an APA/CPA accredited doctoral degree, including completion of an APA/CPA accredited internship with substantial training in clinical neuropsychology. Fellows must obtain their doctoral degree prior to beginning the fellowship.

Education Activities

Three days (60%) of the fellow’s week are spent engaged in providing clinical service, including assessment and treatment activities. The remaining two days (40%) are spent on research, departmental meetings, and educational activities. 

Year 1

• Fellows typically spend their first six months in an outpatient setting primarily working with the developmental population (i.e., children or adults) with whom they have the most experience working, followed by six months focused on the population with whom they have less experience.
  • Pediatric Neuropsychology: Under faculty supervision, fellows typically complete two comprehensive outpatient neuropsychological evaluations per week with some psychometrist support. The third clinical day includes a combination of multidisciplinary and outreach clinic participation. Fellows may request to work with faculty members engaged in the clinical work that most closely aligned with their interests. Fellows are expected to attend multidisciplinary clinics and conferences associated with elected rotations. For example, fellows interested in working with children in a neuro-oncology setting would be expected to attend weekly tumor board meetings and might also participate in a monthly neurofibromatosis clinic.
  • Adult Rehabilitation Neuropsychology: Under faculty supervision, fellows typically complete one-to-two outpatient neuropsychological evaluations per week, with additional time spent working in a rehabilitation neuropsychology capacity across various multidisciplinary clinics and acute, inpatient medical settings. Interested fellows may also elect to engage adults with neurobehavioral conditions and various forms of disability in evidence-based psychotherapy (e.g., acceptance-and-commitment therapy) also under faculty supervision.
• In addition to the major rotations described above, fellows will also complete a minor, yearlong rotation in diversity, equity, and inclusion that will incorporate program development and/or outreach projects, didactic learning, guided reading, and discussion.
• Throughout their first year, fellows are expected to…
  • Participate in the Graduate Medical Education curriculum, as needed
  • Participate in research via submission of a project (e.g. findings from an archival study or project based on a faculty member’s active research, literature review, etc.) for presentation or publication with submission occurring by the end of the first year—Fellows interested in designing an original research project should aim for their study proposal to be finalized by the end of the first year.

Year 2

• Informed by their first-year experiences, fellows will then spend an entire year focused on working with their primary developmental emphasis (i.e., children or adults).
  • Pediatric Neuropsychology: Under faculty supervision, fellows increase their independence with opportunities to participate in supervised clinical activities across both inpatient and outpatient settings. Fellows may elect to receive supervised training on the pediatric rehabilitation unit, which requires a one-and-a-half day per week commitment, where they provide collaborative neuropsychological evaluation services within an interdisciplinary acute rehabilitation setting. Fellows simultaneously continue to hone their expertise conducting outpatient neuropsychological evaluations, typically completing one comprehensive assessment per week and participating in multidisciplinary clinics, as feasible.
  • Adult Rehabilitation Neuropsychology: Under faculty supervision, fellows take on a role of emerging independence working in either (or both) the UPMC Adult Spina Bifida Clinic and/or the UPMC Mercy acute rehabilitation program for adults with acquired brain injury. Contingent on time spent in these activities, fellows spend their remaining time taking on a similar role of emerging independence within the context of outpatient neuropsychological assessment—Typically no fewer than one evaluation per week. Opportunities for training in the delivery of evidence-based psychotherapy to adults with neurobehavioral conditions remain available to interested fellows in their second year of training.
• Fellows also complete a one-year minor rotation in the developmental specialty area opposite of their chosen major rotation (i.e., children or adults).
• Fellows have the opportunity to engage in a tiered supervision model of training, supervising doctoral-level trainees through either their major or minor rotation, and receiving “supervision-of-supervision,” which is supplemented by didactic training.
• Throughout their second year, fellows are expected to...
  • Participate in the Graduate Medical Education curriculum, as needed
  • Continue the minor rotation in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiated in the first year.
  • Continuation of a research project, either through final preparation of a conference presentation and/or working towards publication in a refereed journal. For fellows completing a prospective research project, the second year is spent in data collection, analysis, and dissemination activities. These fellows are encouraged to submit a manuscript summarizing findings from their project by completion of the fellowship.

Year 3

• For fellows interested in a primarily academic career, an optional third year may be available. Please note this is never guaranteed and is dependent entirely on the fellow’s ability to secure their own funding. The program administration will match the fellow with a primary research mentor to support this process.

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Required Seminars

Fellows are required to participate in a three-hour didactics block that occurs on Friday mornings. Additional didactic opportunities are available throughout training to supplement specific rotation and learning experiences.

Neuroanatomy Review Series (1h): – This series occurs weekly during the first six months of each fellowship training year. The focus of this six-month didactic block is on understanding the neuroanatomical foundations of modern clinical neuropsychology. Lectures are presented by a combination of department faculty and guest speakers. Fellows are expected to attend these lectures and to also present one lecture during each year of training. Seminar ends with a review and exam to evaluate the fellow’s knowledge.

 

Behavioral Neuroscience Series (1h): – This lecture series occurs during the second six months of the training year. Each year’s topics are chosen to provide relevant information about different neurocognitive and neurobehavioral disorders. This series follows a two-year cycle. Lectures are presented by a combination of department faculty and guest speakers. Fellows are expected to attend these lectures and present one lecture of their choosing each year of training.

 

Neuropsychology Case Conference (1h):– Fellows participate in a case conference led by department faculty and guest speakers. These meetings alternate between traditional case conference, where emphasis is placed on didactic teaching, and more interactive group-based fact findings. Fellows are expected to attend these meetings and, in second year, take on a more primary role in working through the case presented. Additionally, at least once during each fellowship year, fellows complete their own individual fact finding (one adult and one pediatric case), meant to simulate the board certification fact finding process.

 

Professional Development Seminar (1h): – This seminar is centered on professional development issues relevant to the practice of clinical neuropsychology. Topics are generated, evaluated, and updated each year based on emerging issues, newly identified fellow needs, as well as the timeliness and relevance of a given topic. These seminars are led by a combination of department faculty and guest speakers.
 

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Coursework

Graduate Medical Education Curriculum: – Fellows are eligible to participate in research courses, wellness activities, professional development seminars, and support meetings offered by ACGME at UPMC and University of Pittsburgh, as needed. All Fellows have opt-out confidential counseling offered free of charge.

 

Clinical Activities

 

Pediatric Pediatric Outpatient Neuropsychology: These clinical activities are supervised service delivery experiences that promote the development of expertise in pediatric neuropsychology. This includes clinical interviewing, case conceptualization, interprofessional and interagency communication, intervention planning and delivery, and neuropsychological testing, scoring, analysis, synthesis, conceptualization, evaluation report writing, and verbal communication of findings and recommendations to families and patients. These activities are completed by direct clinical service to patients ranging in age from infancy to approximately 26 years with known or suspected health conditions affecting the central nervous system. Other clinical activities include consultation with school personnel via virtual meetings, community outreach, and participation in multidisciplinary clinics.

 

Adult Rehabilitation Neuropsychology: These clinical activities are supervised service delivery experiences that promote the development of expertise in clinical interviewing, case conceptualization, interprofessional and interagency communication, intervention planning and delivery, and neuropsychological testing, scoring, analysis, synthesis, conceptualization, evaluation report writing, and verbal communication of findings and recommendations to patients and families. These activities are completed by direct clinical service to patients typically ranging in age from 16 years through older adulthood with known or suspected neurobehavioral or neurocognitive conditions. Other clinical activities include neuropsychological evaluation and management services in the acute, rehabilitation setting, evidence-based psychotherapy (e.g., acceptance-and-commitment therapy) for adults with neurobehavioral conditions, participation in interdisciplinary team meetings, and co-treatment with professionals from other healthcare disciplines.

 

Major Emphases: Pediatric Neuropsychology and Adult Rehabilitation Neuropsychology

 

Pediatric Focused Rotations: The structure of pediatric experiences is such that fellows request from the following training opportunities that best meet their interests. Clinical training opportunities are dependent on supervisor availability and each fellow’s schedule, but all efforts will be made to meet fellow requests. Typically, fellows selecting these experiences will participate in a multidisciplinary or consultation clinic, supplemented by comprehensive outpatient evaluations for patients served through that clinic.

• Acquired Brain Injury Clinic
• Cardiac Neurodevelopment Care Program
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Clinics
• Epilepsy Surgery Clinic (including WADA testing)
• Hematology/Oncology Clinic
• Acute, inpatient rehabilitation (2nd year only)
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders Clinic
• Sickle Cell Clinic

Adult Focused Rotations: Fellows emphasizing training in in Adult Rehabilitation Neuropsychology can elect to complete a combination of outpatient neuropsychological assessment, outpatient evidence-based psychotherapy, multidisciplinary care within the UPMC Adult Spina Bifida Clinic, and bedside neuropsychological evaluation and management of adults with acquired brain injury participating in acute, inpatient rehabilitation—Fellows completing a minor rotation will be expected to engage in outpatient neuropsychological assessment services, in addition to one other clinical activity from the list above. Descriptions of these rotations are offered below:

• Outpatient Neuropsychology Clinic—Fellows are exposed to working with adults with a wide array of chronic health conditions and forms of disability, including pediatric-onset conditions, acquired brain injury, and neurodegenerative processes.
• Outpatient Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy—Fellows may opt to receive specialized training in the delivery of rehabilitation-oriented psychotherapy services with emphasis on management of neurobehavioral dysfunction and adjustment-to-disability
• UPMC Adult Spina Bifida Clinic—Fellows can opt to receive training practicing within the blended specialty area of rehabilitation neuropsychology within the multidisciplinary Adult Spina Bifida Clinic at UPMC. This rotation emphasizes multidisciplinary teamwork within the outpatient setting, with emphasis on the evaluation and management of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive concerns experienced by patients seen in this clinic.
• Adult Inpatient Neurorehabilitation—Fellows working in this setting will spend two-to-three days per week engaged in the neuropsychological evaluation and management of complex neurobehavioral dysfunction and neurocognitive impairment experienced by adults with acquired brain injury in the acute rehabilitation setting. There may also be opportunities for minor rotation training working with adults with spinal cord injury in the acute rehabilitation setting.

Research Activities

Fellows are expected to devote 10-to-20% of their time to research-related activities, leveraging the robust research infrastructure within PM&R at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including completion of an archival research project or engagement with active faculty-led research. For fellows with exceptionally strong clinical training backgrounds who are also interested in pursuing research-oriented academic careers, additional flexibility in dedicated research time can be discussed.

Download the program brochure for more information