IMPACT Pre-Doctoral Program
The IMPACT pre-doctoral fellowship program is a paid, eight-week research elective offered each year for up to four medical students. Most students complete the fellowship during the summer months between their first and second years of medical school, although other times may be available. Each student is paired with a mentor from our training faculty whose work complements the student’s research interests. Fellows in the program will work on a project that may lead to a scientific presentation and/or a peer-reviewed publishable product. In addition to performing research, fellows also shadow mental health professionals in the clinic.
The program seeks to:
- Increase exposure of medical students to child psychiatry research
- Introduce fellows to different research and clinical settings
- Lay the groundwork for a scholarly project
- Provide a stepping stone toward a career in academic child psychiatry
Former participants have gone on to prestigious child psychiatry training programs.
Program Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We are committed to providing meaningful training opportunities that foster growth in trainees’ cultural competencies to improve patient care, enhance scientific research, and increase advocacy for social justice.
Training Experiences and Resources
- Lectures, presentations and trainings offered through the University of Pittsburgh’s nationally recognized Center on Race and Social Problems (click here for prior lectures)
- WPH Grand Rounds and Medicine Grand rounds focused on topics of health equity
- Opportunities to work with faculty focused on health disparities in their programmatic lines of research
- Training workshops offered by the University of Pittsburgh’s Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Career development support and resources (e.g., grant writing, preparation of publications, mentorship, development of management and leadership skills) through the University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Career Education and Enhancement for Health Care Research Diversity Program
Former Pre-Doctoral Fellows
Over the years, IMPACT pre-doctoral fellows have enjoyed selection from a wide variety of research topics in diverse subject areas. In some cases, fellows have worked with multiple faculty mentors in order to broaden the scope of their work. A list of selected previous fellows plus their mentors and project titles is included below.
Lauren Rebel
Mentor: Justin Yu, MD
Research Project Title: Evaluating sibling bereavement care interventions: A qualitative study of children and adolescents attending a week-long peer support camp for bereaved siblings
Morgan Wynkoop
Mentor: Heather Joseph, DO
Research Project Title: Factors Impacting Parenting Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction in Parents with and without ADHD
Pooja Amin
Mentor: Heather Joseph, DO
Research Project Title: ADHD-Related Behaviors in Toddlerhood Predict Peer Problems at Preschool Age
Andrew Nguyen
Mentor: Brian Thoma, PhD
Research Project Title: Adolescent Biology of Stress Study (ABOSS)
Research Project Title: The Gender Minority Youth Study (GMY)
John Gnalian
Mentor: Traci Kennedy, PhD
Research Project Title: START Smart Project
Michael Jayson
Mentors: Heather Joseph, DO & Brooke Molina, PhD
Research Project Title: Motor Development in Infants and Toddlers at High or Low Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Grace Noel
Mentor: Lauren Bylsma, PhD
Research Project Title: Moderators of Neural Reward Processing in Adolescents with Differential Risk for Depression
Ksheeraja Sriram
Mentor: Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD
Research Project Title: Effect of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Frontolimbic Functional Connectivity in Youth at Risk for Bipolar Disorder
Lauren Harbaugh
Mentors: Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD & Boris Birmaher, MD
Research Project Title: COVID-19 Adolescent Symptom & Psychological Experience Questionnaire (CASPE) Analysis
Nia Buckner
Mentors: Alison Hipwell, PhD, ClinPsyD & Rachel Kolko Conlon, PhD
Research Project Title: Maternal Chronic Health Conditions & Intergenerational Obesity Risk in Infancy
Tristan Hazebrook
Mentor: Ana Radovic, MD
Research Project Title: SOVA & Screening Wizard
Nathan Anderson
Mentors: Oliver Lindhiem & Ana Radovic, MD
Research Project Title: ETUDES Center Screening Wizard and the Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS)
Morgan Coren
Mentors: Oliver Lindhiem & Ana Radovic, MD
Research Project Title: ETUDES Center Stakeholder Feedback and Center Stakeholder Feedback Projects
Rachel Eleazu
Mentor: Alison Hipwell, PhD, ClinPsyD
Research Project Title: The Impact of Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Pregnancy Outcomes Between Races
Esther Kim
Mentor: Tina Goldstein, PhD
Research Project Title: Risk for Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior in Offspring of Parents with Bipolar Disorder: A Longitudinal Study
Stephen Murata
Mentor: Nadine Melhem, PhD
Research Project Title: Is the Kynurenine Pathway Involved in the Metabolic Endophenotype of Adolescent Suicide Attempters?
Christina Deirmenjian
Mentor: Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD
Research Project Title: Enhancing Resiliency of Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth
Jessica Gregory
Mentors: Allison Black, MD & Mark DeBrunner, MD
Research Project Title: Adverse Childhood Experiences in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease: An Evaluation of the Average and Most Common ACEs in Children Diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease and their Parents
Eva Chernoff
Mentor: David Kolko, PhD, ABPP
Research Project Title: Doctor’s Office Collaborative Care (DOCC) Pilot Study
Sungeon Kim
Mentor: Carla Mazefsky, PhD
Research Project Title: The Relationship Between Intolerance of Uncertainty, Depression, and Emotion Dysregulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Camila Ortiz
Mentor: Allison Black, MD
Research Project Title: Association between Parental Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Scores and the Quality of Life in Patients with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD)
Emily Transue
Mentors: Jack Rozel, MD & Ed Mulvaney, MD
Research Project Title: The Use of Threat Assessment and Management Systems in the Healthcare Setting and the Relationship Between Parent Support and Re-Entry Gainful Activity for Serious Juvenile Offenders