Neuropsychology

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology

Applications will be accepted starting in the fall of 2023 for the 7/2024-6/2026 training cycle. We anticipate that we will be participating in the National Match Program for residencies in clinical neuropsychology.

A two-year postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology. The fellowship program uses a scientist-practitioner model that has clinical, didactic, and research opportunities. Training follows the Houston Conference guidelines and will prepare fellows for board certification in neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). The training focuses primarily on adult and geriatric populations, though there may be opportunities to work with older adolescents. Fellows will have the opportunity to see individuals with a range of medical, neurological, and psychiatric diagnoses. Approximately 50% of the fellow’s time will focus on seeing patients through the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, including pre- and post-surgical neuropsychological evaluations and assessments to aid in the differential diagnosis of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). Other primary responsibilities include evaluations of referrals through the Cognitive Disorders division and pre-surgical evaluations for deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease. Referrals from outside neurologists and inpatient consultations are also important responsibilities. There are also opportunities to see individuals for cognitive rehabilitation or individual psychotherapy.

Neuropsychology fellows will provide tiered supervision of practicum students and pre-doctoral interns. Neuropsychology residents also participate in a range of didactics in neuropsychology, neurology, neurosurgery, and related topics. A weekly seminar is held for all neuropsychology trainees, consisting of case presentations, didactics on subjects of interest, and mock fact-finding exercises in preparation for ABPP-CN board certification. Fellows also attend weekly neurology grand rounds and epilepsy surgical conference. Numerous other didactic opportunities are available, including cognitive disorders case conference, neurosurgery and psychiatry grand rounds, and invited lectures. Participation in research is encouraged through collaboration with ongoing projects and possible development of an independent research project in the second year. Such projects could potentially involve functional and/or structural neuroimaging.

Contact: Gregory Seidel, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Director of Postdoctoral Training, Neuropsychology Division
 

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Neuroimaging

Program description: The Department of Neurology at Thomas Jefferson University/Jefferson Medical College offers a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Neuroimaging focusing on both clinical brain mapping and primary cognitive neuroscience investigations. The position is funded by a new 5-year NIH R01 grant aimed at developing multi-modal neuroimaging predictors of cognitive and seizure outcomes following brain surgery. The emphasis in our neuroimaging program is on cognitive and behavioral network organization and plasticity in neurologic disorders such as epilepsy. The lab focuses on the use of advanced network neuroscience measures to understand seizure networks and cognitive reorganization in epilepsy, and has had recent publications in Brain, Neurology, and Epilepsia. The lab is part of the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, a large internationally-known epilepsy surgery program. Presurgical brain mapping studies are undertaken (MRI volumetrics, task-fMRI, resting state functional connectivity, diffusion imaging, neuropsychological assessment, electrophysiological recordings/electrocortical stimulation), as well as post-surgical neuroimaging studies investigating clinical, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes. The pre-surgical brain mapping studies are conducted on a regular basis, utilized in image-guided surgery, and then made available for research. Studies in brain recovery and the cognitive reorganization of language and memory functions are emphasized, utilizing rich multi-modal datasets for the investigation of both cognitive and pathologic (e.g., seizure) networks. Thomas Jefferson University provides a rich interdisciplinary research environment with grand rounds, seminars, case conferences, and opportunities to collaborate with faculty across departments such as neurosurgery and radiology. Successful applicants must have a strong background in image processing and analysis using programs such as MATLAB, SPM, and FSL with a strong interest in clinical neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience. Applicants must have a PHD or MD in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, statistics, neurology, neuropsychology, radiology, or related field. For more information, visit the Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Mapping Laboratory website.

Contact: Joseph I. Tracy, Ph.D., ABPP(CN), Director, Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Mapping Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Medical College; Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, 901 Walnut Street, Suite #447, Phila., PA 19107, 215-955-4661.
 

Externship in Clinical Neuropsychology

Practicum student responsibilities generally include medical records review, administration of neuropsychological/psychological tests and measures, scoring and interpretation of tests administered, case conceptualization, and integration of findings into a comprehensive report. Student responsibilities are determined based on previous experience and accruing knowledge base. Two-day practicum students typically see one patient per week. All students are also expected to present cases on a quarterly basis at our neuropsychology case seminar.

General information about our externship site: The Jefferson Neuropsychology Division is a large hospital-based neuropsychology program within the Department of Neurology. The program uses a scientist-practitioner model that has clinical, didactic, and research opportunities. The clinical practice has strong ties to Jefferson's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and the Cognitive Disorders and Comprehensive Alzheimer's Disease Center; however, general neurology patients are also seen, including stroke, movement disorders, and tumor. Inpatient consultations from throughout the hospital are also an important part of the clinical assessment responsibilities. As part of the epilepsy program, students will have the opportunity to participate in pre-operative neuropsychological evaluations that contribute to surgical candidacy decision-making, post-operative evaluations following resective or ablative epilepsy surgery, Wada procedures, clinical fMRI's, and cognitive and psychological assessment of patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Didactic opportunities include participation in neurosurgery and neurology grand grounds, a neuropsychology seminar, and epilepsy surgical consensus conference. Five neuropsychologists provide supervision for students at all levels of training, including practicum students, interns, and post-doctoral fellows.

Contact: Abigail Lyon, PsyD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Predoctoral Training Director, Neuropsychology Division
 

Technician in Clinical Neuropsychology

Jefferson Neuropsychology utilizes technicians to administer neuropsychological tests to our patients. These positions open up on a variable schedule.

Job description: Our clinical work focuses primarily on adult and geriatric populations, though there may be opportunities to work with older adolescents. Technicians will work with individuals with a range of medical, neurological, and psychiatric diagnoses. Responsibilities will include administration and scoring of neuropsychological tests, data entry, and support of five faculty members. Technicians will be trained to administer a wide variety of cognitive tests and patient contact hours in this role are high. There is a good breadth of exposure to all neurologic conditions, with particular emphasis on epilepsy, dementia, and memory disorders. Successful candidates will have be hard working, organized, meticulous to details, flexible, with the desire and maturity to work with our impaired patients. A bachelor’s degree is required; a major in a field related to neuropsychology or psychology is preferred. This position is a great opportunity to be immersed in the neurology department of a high-level, busy academic medical center. This role is often a stepping-stone to medical school, graduate school in neuropsychology, or other related fields such as clinical psychology or neuroscience. A strong health benefits package is provided for full-time employees.

If interested, please email a CV and letter of interest to Jennifer Tinker, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Clinical Director, Neuropsychology Division.
 

Research Assistant in Neuroimaging

Research Assistant positions in Neuroimaging are available on annual or bi-annual basis (Bachelors or Masters required). The position is a great stepping stone for those interested in cognitive neuroscience, neurology, or radiology who may later apply to graduate or medical school. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Tracy.

Contact: Joseph I. Tracy, PhD., ABPP(CN), Director, Neuropsychology Division; Director, Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Mapping Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Medical College; Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, 901 Walnut Street, Suite #400, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-955-4661,

More Details & Tracy Research Laboratory information