Health Psychology Clinical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Behavioral Health Institute in the Department of Psychiatry at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center offers a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Medicine and Health Psychology, developed in collaboration with the University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. The program is designed for early-career psychologists ready to build an independent research portfolio, develop grant writing expertise and deliver evidence-based clinical care at the intersection of behavioral health and cardiovascular medicine.
Why Train at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center?
The fellowship is embedded within the Behavioral Health Research Group and situated alongside the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, consistently ranked among the nation's best, creating a training environment where behavioral science and cardiovascular care operate in close collaboration. Fellows enter an active, funded research program from day one, with access to existing datasets, ongoing federally funded studies, and faculty holding NIH (NIMH, NHLBI), AHA, and foundation funding.
The program places particular emphasis on grant development, with intensive training oriented toward submission of an NIH career development award (K23 or K01) by the time of fellowship completion. Fellows also have the opportunity to contribute to the Critical Limb Threatening Ischemia (CLTI) Health Promotion Research Program from its earliest stages, gaining rare experience in building a research initiative from the ground up.
The fellowship is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and prepares fellows for careers in academic medicine, research, and advanced clinical practice. Fellows will be license eligible upon program completion.
Who Should Apply?
This fellowship is designed for PhD graduates in clinical, counseling, or health psychology from APA or CPA-accredited programs who have completed an APA or CPA-accredited internship and are ready to pursue a research-focused career in behavioral medicine. Candidates with health psychology experience, a strong interest in grant writing and a foundation in research design and scientific writing are especially well positioned to thrive in this program. The doctoral dissertation must be defended prior to the fellowship start date.
About the Behavioral Health Research Group
The Behavioral Health Research Group is dedicated to identifying barriers to care and developing, testing, and implementing novel treatment approaches that improve outcomes for individuals with disorders of the brain and nervous system. The team has a strong record of securing federal funding from NIH (NIMH, NHLBI), the American Heart Association, and industry partners. Current research focuses on medication adherence, self-management, and behavioral interventions for serious mental illness and cardiovascular disease.
About UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute
UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute is comprised of preventive cardiology, vascular medicine, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, cardiac electrophysiology, cardiovascular imaging, congenital heart cardiology, interventional cardiology, advanced heart failure cardiology, cardiac transplantation and cardiovascular rehabilitation. There is an extensive research infrastructure that supports these services encompassing population health, genomics and artificial intelligence, translational science and clinical trials.
