Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow
PVN ID: PH-2212-005249
Category: Research
Location: CUNY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH & HEALTH POLICY

Job Description

General Description

Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunities in Mental Health Implementation Science

Center for Innovation in Mental Health

CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

Details:

Full-time

35 hours per week

$55,000-$65,000

Applications are invited for an exciting postdoctoral fellowship opportunity under the direction of Dr. Victoria Ngo, Director of the Center for Innovation in Mental Health and PI of multiple domestic and global mental health studies, including the Harlem Strong Initiative, Building Resiliency in Youth (BRY), C2C Job Plus, and Project Dep (Vietnam).

About the Projects:

Harlem Strong Initiative (NIMH U01) is a community-wide multisector collaborative to transform how mental health services are delivered in Harlem. Mental health task-sharing will be integrated into low-income housing, primary care practices, and community-based organizations. The goals are to (1) problem solve financing, access, and quality of care barriers, (2) support capacity building for mental health task-sharing for community health workers, (3) facilitate coordination and collaboration across mental health / behavioral health, primary care, and social services, and (4) identify a set of common metrics and strategies for continuous system quality improvement. The research study will evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness using a hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness design to assess effects of the Harlem Strong Collaborative on system and consumer outcomes.  

Building Resiliency in Youth (NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) is a partnership between CUNY CIMH and NYC DOHMH to support development of mental health awareness and services for youth-serving Community-based Organizations in 33 neighborhoods with significant racial and economic disparities in health outcomes.  The goals of the project are to support mental health task-sharing, including mental health promotion, screening, psychoeducation, brief evidence-based interventions, and to strengthen referral process for CBOs in NYC. Continuous quality improvement via learning collaboratives will be implemented to support sustainability of this program. A mixed methods program evaluation will be conducted for this program.

Community Connections to Care Job Plus Program (NYC Office of Economic Opportunity) is a partnership between CUNY CIMH and NYC Office of Economic Opportunity, to support development of mental health services for public housing residents who are receiving employment support services through the Job Plus program.  The goals of the project are to support mental health task-sharing, including mental health promotion, screening, psychoeducation, brief evidence-based interventions, and to strengthen integration of employment and mental health services delivered to residents in public housing across NYC. Continuous quality improvement via learning collaboratives will be implemented to support sustainability of this program.

Project Dep (NIMH R01). This is an implementation effectiveness hybrid randomized control study to evaluate implementation strategies, including workshops and technical assistance, supervision, community engagement, and learning collaboratives for scaling up a multicomponent collaborative care for depression program, which includes mental health community promotion, screening, psychoeducation, behavior activation, problem solving therapy, and medication management for community-based primary care clinics in 36 communities across Vietnam. The study evaluates RE-AIM outcomes and examines cost-effectiveness using a mixed methods approach.

The full-time position is a 2-year fellowship that focuses on applied research program dedicated to improving the evidence base on mental health task-sharing implementation models for at-risk communities in NYC and/or Vietnam.  Our studies focus on developing, implementing, and scaling up mental health and psychosocial interventions in community accessible settings, including primary care, community-based organizations, houses of worship, and studying the effectiveness of various team-based models of care and implementation strategies. All of our projects use a community-partnered process, where a collaborative network of health system, policy, academic, and community stakeholders work together to develop and support capacity building, strengthen healthcare and community systems, and problem solve implementation barriers.  

The Postdoctoral fellow will work closely with the PIs and investigators to manage the research study and ensure that project milestones are met. The fellow will oversee the training and implementation process, community partnerships, quality improvement strategies, and data collection. The postdoctoral fellows will support research coordination (including IRB management, clinical trials registration, project management, data collection, etc.), development of trainings in evidence-based mental health intervention, community engagement activities, along with analysis of large dataset of implementation and outcome data, manuscript preparation, and presentations. There will also be opportunities to develop new research grants, including a K award at the end of the fellowship.

This opportunity will provide the fellow with opportunities to develop research, clinical, and training skills to lead community partnered mental health implementation science studies, publish, write grants, and gain experience in mental health implementation science in a local and/or global context. The center has a large network of collaborators and can offer many professional and research development opportunities.

See more about center projects here: https://cimh.sph.cuny.edu/

The current stipend is commensurate with the standard National Institutes of Health rate ($55,000- $65,000) and is eligible for benefits. A travel stipend will be provided for necessary travel, including conferences and trainings. Several positions are open.

Please submit:

  • Cover letter
  • Statement of Purpose (including research and clinical interests and experience, training and supervision experience, research/academic goals). Please indicate preference for specific projects, if any.
  • Sample of academic writing or intervention manual
  • CV
  • 3 references

Other Duties

  • Support management of large clinical community trials of mental health task-sharing
  • Work with PI and lead trainers to develop intervention materials (manuals, tools, curriculum, mental health promotion toolkits, implementation guides, etc.), deliver training workshops, and supervise community providers in task-sharing mental health interventions.
  • Work with PI and investigators to assist with implementation of learning collaborative to support scale up of mental health/psychosocial support interventions
  • Develop and support community collaborative network
  • Support continuous quality improvement including problem solving implementation challenges, providing technical assistance for program implementation
  • Work with research team on data collection of implementation and outcome data across sites
  • Lead analysis of longitudinal data in mental health services research
  • Engage in high-level research and publishing on projects regarding ongoing work related to the depression care projects and task-shifting research globally and locally.

Qualifications

  • PhD in field related to Clinical/Counseling Psychology, Public Health, Implementation Science, Social Work, and/or Mental Health with strong background in implementation science
  • Experience working on implementation science, effectiveness studies, and quality improvement strategies with service systems. Familiarity with hybrid implementation-effectiveness research designs, cluster randomized control trials, longitudinal studies, clinical trials, and quality improvement approaches is needed.
  • Experience conducting research in culturally diverse contexts
  • Experience working in NYC and/or similar communities
  • Experience implementing mental health evidence-based interventions (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Problem Solving Therapy, Behavior Activation, Interpersonal Therapy, etc.)
  • Experience providing training and supervision to community providers is preferred
  • Experience with community-based participatory research
  • Publication record that demonstrates candidate’s capacities, proficiency with advanced statistical and computational programming preferred
  • Statistical capabilities: Demonstrated ability to analyze data from cluster randomized trials, work with missing data, conduct multilevel modeling, oversee technology-based data collection and data monitoring, and utilize mixed methodologies to triangulate qualitative and quantitative data
  • Experience with mental health technological tools (applications, websites, SMS interventions) are preferred. There will be opportunities to develop further in this area.
  • Language skills (Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish) are preferred
  • For BRY, experience working with youth and families is needed

About the Research Foundation

The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).

RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Key Features

Department
Center for Innovation in Mental Health
Status
Full Time
Annual Salary Range
$55,000.00 - $65,000.00
Closing Date
Feb 01, 2023 (Or Until Filled)
Bargaining Unit
No

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