Education

Supported by the University of Miami / Jackson Health System, the Geriatric Psychiatry fellows receive training within the UM CNSA in the subspecialty of geriatrics and aging with a special emphasis on cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Applicant Eligibility

As per ACGME requirements, all applicants must have satisfactorily completed an ACGME-accredited psychiatry residency prior to entering the program.

How to Apply

Applicants should send an application form to asanto@med.miami.edu with the following items:

• Photo
• C.V.
• Personal Statement
• Summative Evaluation Letter (from Psychiatry Residency Training Director)
• Two Additional Letters of Reference
• USMLE Transcript
• Valid ECFMG Certificate (if applicable)
• Dean’s Letter and MSPE
• Copy of Medical Diploma and Residency Certificate (if available)

There is a pressing need to train promising clinicians and clinical researchers to study innovative ways of assessing and diagnosing persons with prodromal and preclinical stages of dementia and other cognitive disorders.

Our postdoctoral training program in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience offers a unique opportunity for a post-doctoral fellow to be trained by a team that closely focused on studying the earliest preclinical indicators of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias, and that is extraordinarily skilled in the delivery and development of cognitive interventions. The core faculty and program of research at the Center for Cognitive Neurosciences and Aging (CNSA) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, provides an unmatched platform for specialty training.

The prospective research fellowship candidates will be evaluated with regards to their a) potential for a career in patient-oriented research; b) research interests and training experiences; and c) letters of support.

Interested students who are candidates for postdoctoral training may forward a C.V., and letter of interest to RCuriel2@miami.edu. Additional information about our fellowship training programs can be found by clicking the link to our Clinical Neuropsychology Fellow brochure.

Program Overview: Mission and Goals

The University of Miami, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program in Neuropsychology aims to train and prepare post-doctoral associates for careers in the clinical applications within the specialty of Neuropsychology. The scientist/practitioner philosophy of the training program is designed to prepare applicants for private, hospital-based, or academic practice by providing broad-based curriculum of neuropsychological didactic and training opportunities in clinical neuropsychology.

The program maintains the explicit goal of preparing graduates to demonstrate advanced levels of competency, skills, and knowledge as specialists in clinical neuropsychology, as delineated by the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) and consistent with the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Accreditation’s standards for postdoctoral residencies. Our primary objective is to provide training in neuropsychological assessment and treatment of adults who suffer from a wide-range of central nervous system disorders. The recommendations made of these assessments seek to ameliorate the impact of brain impairment on social, educational, and occupational functioning. The post-doctoral fellowship is a two year, full-time, training commitment. Specific competencies for the Post-Doctoral Resident are assessed based on performance in each of the following important areas of training (See Appendix A):

1. Ability to undertake consultation to patients and medical professionals on an independent basis.
2. Demonstrated research competence by submission of scholarly work for publication, presentation, or by assisting on the submission of grant proposals.
3. Eligibility for professional licensure in the state of Florida.
4. Training eligibility for external certification in Clinical Neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology/American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABPP/ABCN) http://www.theabcn.org/  .
5. Fellows are evaluated to be competent practitioners in the areas of assessment, treatment and interventions, consultation, research, teaching, and supervision. Such competencies have been designated by the Houston Conference on Specialty Training in Clinical Neuropsychology (See, Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 157-220, 1998).  
6. Demonstrated commitment to the highest standards of professional ethics and conduct, including knowledge of laws relevant to the practice of clinical neuropsychology; and other standards for providers of psychological and neuropsychological services.
7. Knowledge, understanding, and incorporation in professional practice, of issues of cultural and individual diversity that are relevant to the above, and specifically to the impact of diversity on neuropsychological service delivery.

Application Procedures

Applicants to the Post-Doctoral program in Clinical Neuropsychology must have completed all requirements of their doctoral degree prior to enrolling including completion of all coursework and dissertation from a regionally accredited APA doctoral program, along with satisfactory completion of an APA/APPIC approved internship. It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit a letter from their current training program stating that he/she has met or expected to meet all training requirements of the program prior to beginning the fellowship. Because of the competitive nature of this residency program, it will participate in the APPCN match process, and the program ensures that no efforts will be made by any faculty to deviate in any way from the prescribed procedures and the program administrators will protect an applicants’ right to make a free choice among fellowship offers. The APPCN Residency Site Program Code is 8511 for the 2024 Match Registration, and the program’s name is University of Miami/Neuropsychology, CRB/CNSA.

Interested applicants should email the following materials as attachments to the attention of David Loewenstein, Ph.D., Program Director at psychologytraining@med.miami.edu and to Rene Hernandez Cardenache, Psy.D., Administrative Director at psychologytraining@med.miami.edu.

1. Curriculum Vitae.
2. Letter of Intent - A one or two page document summarizing your interests, fellowship plans, and application of knowledge and training in future goals.
3. Three letters of recommendation - These should be emailed by the recommending individuals directly to the training directors.
4. Work Samples - These samples should include materials that reflect the applicant’s training background and experience in working within the field of neuropsychology. More specifically, this should include de-identified neuropsychological reports for interested age and clinical populations.
5. Official Graduate Transcripts - listing courses, grades, and degrees from all graduate-level educational institutions attended.

Electronic Application Process

We have moved towards accepting all application materials as electronic documents; therefore, all applicants are to provide electronic copies of all supportive documents as attachments to email. All official transcripts from graduate schools are to be sent electronically. When possible, we also prefer that signed letters of recommendation be sent as scanned attachments directly from the individuals writing the letters. Word documents, PDF, or Acrobat are preferred. Unsigned letters may be subject to verification by program staff and faculty. Please send all electronic application materials to psychologytraining@med.miami.edu. We recognize official transcripts are not always available as electronic documents and arrangements are to be made to have hard copies sent by US mail directly to the following address:   

Attention:     Program Directors:
                      David Loewenstein, Ph.D., ABPP/CN, Director of Post-Doctoral Neuropsychology Fellowship
                      Rene Hernandez Cardenache, Psy.D., Administrative Director of  NP Fellowship Program  
                      Clinical Research Building, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science
                      1120 NW 14th Street, Suite 1466
                       Miami, FL. 33136
                       Phone: 305-689-3755
                       Fax:      305-243-4061
                       U of Miami, Department of Psychiatry: http://psychiatry.med.miami.edu/default.aspx

The final application deadline is Friday, January 19, 2024. The official start date of the fellowship is Monday, September 9, 202. All applications are reviewed by a selection committee comprising of the Training Directors and at least two other associate faculty members. The most competitive candidates will be invited to interview in person. In cases where face to face interviewing represents a financial hardship, we will be able to arrange telephone or zoom interviews. Applicants are encouraged to contact potential preceptors from our faculty to learn more about their areas of clinical and research expertise and interests. Individual faculty contact information is available at http://psychiatry.med.miami.edu/About-Department/Find-Faculty.aspx.

Interested applicants are also encouraged to contact Drs. Loewenstein or Hernandez-Cardenache with any pertinent questions. Only completed applications will be considered by the selection committee. It is the applicant’s responsibility to assure that all supportive materials are provided by the application deadline.

The Center for Cognitive Neurosciences and Aging (CNSA) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine offers pre-doctoral practicum training for students interested in receiving specialty training in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. The CNSA forms part of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the UM Miller School of Medicine and is located in the Behavioral Health Hospital at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Requirements: The practicum training commitment is for one year. Typically, accepted students attend local, APA accredited doctoral training programs and have completed intellectual testing courses, demonstrate a strong interest in the science and practice of neuropsychology and are planning to complete the neuropsychology major. Neuropsychology major students early in their practicum training course are encouraged to apply. Time requirements include two full days per week (8 hours) per day.

Training Experience: Neuropsychological training at our site focuses on learning the skills necessary to accurately select, administer, score and interpret a wide range of standardized neuropsychological measures, develop a greater understanding of brain-behavior relationships, psychometrics, and begin to establish the basics of comprehensive report writing skills. A major area of emphasis includes test administration for older adult participants (age 60+) across our multiple NIH and state-funded clinical research studies. In addition, general clinical neuropsychological testing opportunities include pediatric (~10%), adult (40%) and geriatric (50%) patient populations through our outpatient clinics and in our State of Florida sponsored Memory Disorders Clinic. Weekly didactic training, individual and/or group supervision, bi-weekly Grand Rounds sessions, neuropathology seminars, and participation in our fellowship didactic series is strongly encouraged. Opportunities for scientific productivity by way of submitting posters to scientific conferences, and participating in manuscript preparation is also is encouraged.

• Supervisors: David A. Loewenstein, Ph.D., ABPP/CN, Rosie Curiel Cid, Psy.D., and Marcela Kitaigorodsky, Psy.D.. Licensed postdoctoral neuropsychology fellows also participate directly in the training and supervision of practicum students using a developmental supervisory model.

• Interested students who meet the abovementioned requirements may forward a C.V., and letter of interest to RCuriel2@miami.edu.