Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship

The Department of Neuropsychology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta announces position openings for two 2-year, full-time postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology beginning August 1 to September 1, 2013. The training program is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) and is designed to meet criteria set forth by the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology guidelines. The deadline for APPCN applications is January 4, 2013. See "Application Guidelines" for detailed information on application requirements. The rank order submission list deadline is February 19, 2013 and the match date for the upcoming year is February 27, 2013.

Additional information on the Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship at Children's is featured in the downloadable Neuropsychology Post-doctoral Fellowship brochure which provides an overview of the program.  

About the Program 

Emory University School of Medicine and the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Neuropsychology department offers postdoctoral  training in pediatric neuropsychology. The training program is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) and is designed to meet criteria set forth by the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology guidelines.

The Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship Program builds competency in the assessment and treatment of children with a wide range of central nervous system and developmental disorders. The patient population ranges from newborns to young adults. Upon completion of the two-year, full-time program, participants will have gained the necessary clinical and research skills required for independent practice and/or academic pursuits in pediatric neuropsychology. They will also obtain the necessary experiences required to pursue board certification from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP-CN). 

Areas of Training 

Clinical training consists primarily of supervised neuropsychological evaluations of inpatients and outpatients with various neurological, developmental and psychiatric disorders. Rotations are taken in the following clinical services:

Inpatient Rehabilitation Rotation
This rotation consists of an initial assessment, family education and staff consultation of children following traumatic or acquired brain injuries. The clinical population consists of patients who are admitted to the Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (CIRU).  The resident will participate in interdisciplinary team treatment. Responsibilities include performing neuropsychological evaluations, providing education to family and staff, and assisting with treatment and discharge planning. The CIRU is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

Day Rehabilitation Rotation
The Day Rehabilitation program is a continuation of rehabilitation services and is available to appropriate patients following discharge from the CIRU. This program affords the resident the opportunity to provide brain injury education and support to patients and families. Comprehensive discharge neuropsychological evaluations, to assist with school and community re-entry, also are provided to patients. The Day Rehabilitation program is accredited by CARF.

Epilepsy  
Epilepsy services benefit patients undergoing inpatient surgical assessments, evaluations to provide differential diagnostic information and routine outpatient assessments for children with epilepsy. This is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary rotation that requires the resident to interact and consult with neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, radiology technicians, social workers, child life specialists and nursing staff.

  • INPATIENT SURGICAL EPILEPSY PROGRAM: All patients undergoing inpatient video electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring receive a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation as part of their presurgical planning. Residents participate in presurgical evaluations, the Wada test, cortical mapping of the speech and sensory motor cortex and follow-up cognitive remediation with patients following surgery.
  • OUTPATIENT EPILEPSY EVALUATIONS: Patients diagnosed with epilepsy are assessed in an outpatient setting. Referral questions include obtaining better information about medication monitoring and assisting the Children’s Neurology department on determining the efficacy of various antiepileptic drugs. Comparisons to baseline assessments and consultation with the patient’s school are frequently indicated. Participation in grant funded medication trials is also part of the program.
  • OUTPATIENT EPILEPSY SOCIAL SUPPORT GROUP: The resident leads a monthly social support group for epilepsy patients. This involves supportive counseling, educational presentations and social skills support.

Outpatient Medical/Neurological Rotation
This rotation will focus on the evaluation of children ages 2 to 18 who have a wide range of congenital and acquired brain disorders, including cerebral palsy, genetic disorders, spina bifida, epilepsy, stroke, and learning and attention disorders. Referral questions focus on the neurocognitive impact of these disorders on a child’s functioning.

Cognitive Remediation
The fellow will have the opportunity to supervise graduate students and take part in a cognitive remediation program that takes place in June and July. This program provides 1:1 treatment of attention problems in children with neurological disorders as well as providing support to families using a CBT and manualized format. 

Research Training 

Fellows need to have completed formal courses in research methods and statistics, and concluded an empirical dissertation during graduate training. Postdoctoral fellows are required to participate in and/or develop a research topic within the field of pediatric neuropsychology, and collaborate with neuropsychologists. Fellows are encouraged to present at national professional meetings. The fellow is expected to participate in all steps of the research process, including securing Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. See the Neuropsychology Fellowship Brochure for a list of current research and publications.  

New Technology

Children’s is committed to providing state-of-the-art technology to facilitate research. The newest equipment includes dense array EEG, fMRI, intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans and SISCOM— all of which are utilized for epilepsy surgical patients and those identified with cortical lesions and/or brain tumors. These technologies are being used to make clinical decisions and generate research questions to further the field of neuroscience. In addition to Emory University School of Medicine, alliances are being formed with Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University to partner in these efforts.

Didactic Training 

Activities include:

– A weekly student-based didactic meeting that is
coordinated by the fellows with input from the
predoctoral intern.

– Weekly Neuropsychology seminar that is geared
toward practicum students and is supervised by the
fellow.

– Bi-weekly ABCN board preparation
seminars and monthly teleconferencing seminars with
Neuropsychology faculty at Emory School of Medicine
with whom we are partnered in an APA-Approved
neuropsychology pre-doctoral internship.

– Pediatric grand rounds

– Neuroscience radiology rounds at the Aflac Cancer
Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta

– Neurosurgery and neuroradiology conferences

– Rehabilitation rounds

– Neuropathology rounds at the Emory University School
of Medicine (in the Emory University Hospital morgue
with the Department of Pathology) 

Supervision and Evaluation 

Postdoctoral fellows receive supervision from faculty in both individual (two to four hours per week) and group (one hour each month) formats. Each fellow’s primary supervisor provides a written evaluation of the fellow’s progress following each rotation. 

Clinical Staff 

Stipend and Benefits 

The Children’s Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship program is flexible on the start date, which can range from August to September. The current yearly stipend is $39,264. Benefits include full medical, dental and vision insurance as well as two weeks vacation, plus major holidays. 

Application Guidelines 

The Children's Healthcare of Atlanta & Emory University School of Medicine Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship program participates in the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) Resident Matching Program.

Please visit http://www.natmatch.com/appcnmat/ for further information and deadlines. The Neuropsychology team will be available to interview prospective candidates at the International Neuropsychological Society meeting in February 2012. The rank order submission list deadline is February 19, 2013 and the match date for the upcoming year is February 27, 2013.

All applicants must register with the National Matching Service using the Children's Neuropsychology program code of 9373.

Additionally, applicants for the program must submit the following:

  • Letter of interest (no longer than two single-spaced pages) stating professional and academic preparation and work experiences, along with career goals and interests
  • Curriculum vitae
  • APPCN Verification of Completion of Doctorate form
  • Official graduate transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Copies of any publications
  • Copies of two neuropsychological evaluation reports

The deadline for receipt of all materials, including letters of recommendation, is Jan. 4, 2013. Interviews for the neuropsychology fellowship will be available on-site and remotely.  

Applications should be mailed to:

Kathleen O’Toole, Ph.D., ABPP-CN 
Training Director
Pediatric Neuropsychology Residency program
Neuropsychology department
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
1001 Johnson Ferry Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30342-1600
E-mail: kathleen.otoole@choa.org
Phone: 404-785-2855