T32 Research Fellowship | Icahn School of Medicine

The T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is designed to train psychiatrists, clinically trained PhDs, psychologists, and social workers in clinical neuroscience. Fellows learn to formulate original research on etiology, pathogenesis, course, treatment, and prevention of serious mental illness, with a focus on schizophrenia and major mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. Graduates of the program become skilled clinician-scientists, uniquely poised to bridge the gap between basic neurobiology and clinical disease. This combination is vital for advancing our understanding of the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders and for developing the highly needed disease-modifying treatments for psychiatric illnesses.

Throughout this two-year program (with optional extension to three years), fellows undergo extensive research training in order to apply for individual grants and develop into independent clinical neuroscientists. At least 75 percent of our fellows’ time is protected for research activities, and 25 percent is devoted to patient care. Your training to become a clinical neuroscientist translates into better care for the millions of patients with serious mental illnesses.

The culture of the T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Psychiatry is collaborative, kind, inclusive, and nurtures fellows to achieve their goals and perform their best work. Fellowship co-directors Antonia S. New, MD and Maria de las Mercedes Perez-Rodriguez, MD, PhD are founding members of the Department of Psychiatry’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Steering Committee, which aims to move the needle on faculty recruitment and retention, training and education, clinical services, and research. They also provide training and education for trainees and faculty on social justice and diversity to improve equity and inclusion and to dismantle racism.

Fellows have the opportunity to engage in programs designed to mentor and support students from diverse backgrounds, including the Summer Undergraduate Research Program for Underserved Scholars and the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program.

At Icahn Mount Sinai, we created an individual development plan to tailor training based on the needs of our fellows. During the first year, trainees complete a “Basic Research Toolkit,” which includes courses in:

Biostatistics for Biomedical Research
Effective Science Communication
Grant Writing
Principles of Neural Science, Behavior, and Brain Pathophysiology
Principles of Scientific Proposals
Responsible Conduct in Research
Rigor and Responsibility
Selected Topics in Neuroscience
Topics in Clinical Neuroscience

During the second year of the program, each fellow chooses courses from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai. You can choose courses from up to two of three core tracks: Epidemiology, Population Health, and Statistical Methods; Clinical Trials and Human Research Methods; and Genomics.

In addition to these courses, fellows participate in grant writing coursework, including a course geared toward writing a K award. You will learn to optimize and streamline your grant application skills by working with our internal grant review committee.

We have a rich academic community available to trainees in our program, and we encourage participation in additional activities, such as seminar series, Grand Rounds, journal clubs, and retreats.

Each fellow is paired with a faculty mentor with extensive experience in patient-oriented research. Each fellow works with their mentor to create an individualized career development plan with targeted goals for acquisition of skills, presentations, publications, gathering pilot data, and preparation for independent research funding proposals.

You will also be paired with a junior faculty member as your peer mentoring “buddy.” These faculty members are at the instructor or assistant professor level and have a current career development award or R01 equivalent grant.

Throughout the fellowship, you will meet regularly with our External Advisory Committee to further facilitate your personal and professional development.

Trainees are paid a competitive salary according to their degree and experience (postgraduate year level).

Fellows must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and have completed one or more of the following:

MD, DO, or equivalent degree. An Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency program in psychiatry or related field is preferred.
A PhD in Clinical Psychology from an American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited doctoral program, and an APA-accredited clinical internship. There will also be opportunities to fulfill the licensure requirements as a psychologist during the T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Psychiatry.
Doctoral degree in a health care-related field from an accredited domestic or foreign organization.

To apply, please email the following to Cindy Chiu at cindy.chiu@mssm.edu: