Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology

neuropsych2This fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences includes a wide range of clinical experiences, many of which are interdepartmental in nature, that have emphases on practical clinical training, didactic educational components, and research opportunities The faculty includes a number of full-time clinical neuropsychologists who provide supervision, training, and research guidance. The individual course of study is tailored to each fellow's needs.

University of Virginia and Western State Hospital
Neuropsychology Laboratories

neuropsych1The Clinical Neuropsychology Fellowship is based in the University of Virginia Neurocognitive Assessment Laboratory housed within the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences in the School of Medicine and is one of two core training sites. Here, the fellow has an opportunity to learn a broad range of neuropsychological assessment procedures including the Halstead-Reitan Battery and allied procedures and flexible battery approaches to neurocognitive evaluations. Fellows are exposed to virtually every neuropathological condition including the full spectrum of closed and penetrating head injuries, cerebrovascular diseases and accidents, degenerative neurological conditions, infections (e. g., HIV), neoplastic disease, epilepsy, organ transplant, learning disorders, and substance abuse. Report writing, communication with referral sources, feedback sessions with patients, treatment planning, participation in epilepsy surgery meetings, organ transplant selection meetings, and exposure to the complexities of managed care contacts and billing are all part of this educational experience. In addition, fellows will have opportunities for a minor rotation in inpatient rehabilitation. Formal didactic opportunities and research collaboration outlined below are also integral aspects of this core set of experiences.

wsh_newThe other core rotation is at the Western State Hospital Neuropsychology Laboratory, which is housed in the state psychiatric facility affiliated with the University of Virginia Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. Fellows conduct neuropsychological assessments, utilizing a flexible battery approach for patients with a complex array of neuropsychiatric syndromes. Referrals to the WSH Neuropsychology Laboratory typically involve complicated diagnostic questions, involving comorbid mental illness or substance abuse and neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury, dementia, cerebrovascular disorders, and developmental disorders, as well as neurobehavioral sequelae of neurological diseases. The fellow interacts with multidisciplinary treatment teams to provide information on cognitive strengths and weaknesses for diagnosis, treatment, and discharge planning. Fellows learn to integrate personality data and psychiatric history into neuropsychological reports and gain experience with obtaining valid assessments of patients with hearing and communication deficits, very low levels of education, and different ethnocultural backgrounds. Fellows can also participate in cognitive remediation programs that address cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and other major mental illnesses. Didactic and collaborative research opportunities are available and encouraged.

Clinical Focus (70%)

    Primary Sites:

  1. UVaHS Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences and Neurological Surgery- inpatient and outpatient adult neuropsychological assessment and consultation.
  2. Western State Hospital Neuropsychology Laboratory- adult psychiatric inpatient assessment and consultation.
  3. UVaHS Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital- post-acute inpatient neuropsychological consultation. 

Educational & Professional Development (20%)

  • Medical School Neurosciences Course, and Brain Patholody Lab
  • Neuroradiology and Epilepsy Surgery Rounds
  • Observation of Neurosurgery and/or organ transplantation
  • Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Grand Rounds
  • Neuropsychology Fellows' Seminar/Journal Club
  • Western State Hospital Grand Rounds
  • Meetings with the Program Director and postdoctoral fellows across sub-specialty areas during the academic year to discuss administrative and professional development issues.

Research Focus (10 %)

  • Development of original research in an area of clinical neuropsychology in which the fellow has a particular interest or
  • Participation in ongoing research projects in mild, moderate, and severe traumatic brain injury; sports concussions; epilepsy surgery; effort and symptom validity testing; sleep disturbances; pulmonary dysfunction and lung transplantation; cerebrovascular disorder; cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, substance abuse, and dementia; attentional deficits and learning disabilities; rehabilitation strategies; clinical trials and neuroimaging studies

Core Faculty

UVaHS Neuropsychology Service

  • Jeffrey T. Barth, Ph.D., ABPP
  • Scott D. Bender, Ph.D.
  • Donna K. Broshek, Ph.D.
  • Jason R. Freeman, Ph.D.

Western State Hospital Neuropsychology Laboratory

  • Bernice A. Marcopulos, Ph.D., ABPP

Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center

  • Gerald Showalter, Psy.D.

Current Fellows

  • Christopher Bailey, Ph.D.
  • Daniel Harvey, Ph.D.
  • Anita Sim, Ph.D.

 

DIRECT INQUIRIES AND MATERIALS TO:

Bernice A. Marcopulos, Ph.D., ABPP
Western State Hospital
P. O. Box 2500
Staunton, VA 24401-2500
Bernice.Marcopulos@WSH.DMHMRSAS.Virginia.gov

 

Other Available Fellowships:

Faculty and Fellows
Psychology Residencies Home Page and Application Instructions