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Postdoctoral Fellowship in Digital Mental Health

The highlights:

  • Receive mentorship from leading researchers in both psychological science and human computer interaction
  • Work with a cohort of postdoctoral fellows with backgrounds in psychological science and human computer interaction
  • Lead self-directed research projects with multidisciplinary teams
  • Become a leader in digital mental health research

Northwestern University’s Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies (CBITs) is seeking applicants for our NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship, “Multidisciplinary Training Program in Digital Mental Health.” 

This fellowship focuses on the use of technology to support mental health with an emphasis on equity, and brings together a cohort of fellows in psychological science (psychology, psychiatry, and behavioral science) and human-computer interaction (HCI; computer science, communication, engineering, design, and human factors). The program provides fellows with research training and mentorship in both mental health and HCI research with the aim of preparing the next generation of digital mental health researchers. The program is co-led by Drs. David Mohr, PhD and Darren Gergle, PhD. Dr. Mohr is an expert in the use of technology and psychological approaches for the treatment of mental health conditions. Dr. Gergle is a leader in HCI as applied to medical settings with expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods.  

CBITs provides a unique scientific home for interdisciplinary scholars working in psychology, HCI, computer science, biostatistics, implementation science, and health disparities. The mission of the center is to design, evaluate, and sustainably implement digital mental health solutions in the context of real world care settings. A core value of the center is that digital mental health technologies should be designed and implemented in a manner that extends these services to those people and communities who are currently underserved by our existing mental healthcare system.

Fellows work in a variety of complementary lines of research focused on digital mental health. This work will include collaborations with specialists in HCI, mental health, implementation science, social influences, and mental health disparities. The successful candidate will take a leadership role, overseeing individual research projects in multidisciplinary teams. Core CBITs faculty are available as primary mentors, as are affiliated faculty.  

The primary objective of this fellowship is to prepare the individual for an academically oriented career in fields relevant to technology and mental health. The fellow will have access to data for publications. The successful candidate will have a strong record of peer-reviewed publications and experience in digital mental health research. 

We are seeking fellows with a broad range of interests and encourage applications from fellows with all research interests related to digital mental health.  However, we also try to match fellows with mentors who can support the fellow’s professional growth and advancement.  While mentorship capacity can change, we note that we have currently have mentorship capacity for fellows with interests in suicide prevention, nonsuicidal self-injury, eating disorders, substance use disorders, adult and adolescent depression and anxiety, single-session interventions, community-engaged implementation work, and HCI area’s including the design of messaging interventions, chatbots and Artificial Intelligence. 

CBITs is dedicated to training fellows that will enhance diversity and equal opportunity in higher education and digital mental health research. As our healthcare and academic institutions serve increasingly diverse constituencies, it is vital to understand the ways in which differences in gender, class, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and other identities can both divide us and offer us better ways of thinking and working. The CBITs faculty encourage applications from diverse applicants and are committed to training fellows to work in an increasingly diverse society by promoting equity and justice for all individuals, actively working to eliminate barriers and obstacles created by institutional discrimination, particularly in academic and healthcare settings. 

To comply with NIMH rules, fellows must be US citizens or have permanent resident status. We currently have at least one position open for a fellow in HCI or clinical science, and we will begin reviewing applications in December.  Appointments are for one year, renewable to two. To apply, please submit a CV, statement of research interests and goals, and three letters of recommendation.  You may also include any preprints you would like the committee to see. Review of applications will begin the first week of December.

You may upload your application here: https://forms.feinberg.northwestern.edu/view.php?id=2091185

If you have questions, please contact Bella Golley at izabella.golley@northwestern.edu

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