Each fellow has her or his own office. Fellows have access to both Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth College libraries. In addition to the faculty, each fellow works with several support staff charged with assisting in scheduling and communications. Finally, employment at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) provides fellows with a generous benefits structure that is consistent with the resident and fellow structures in all departments:
- The fellowship has a standard salary based on NIH designated postdoctoral stipend levels, currently set at $56,484
- Fellows also have access to individual health, dental, and life insurance through DHMC
- Vacation and sick leave are also provided
DHMC is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women and minority candidates.
Fellowship supervisors conduct evaluations twice per year at the mid-point and end of fellowship, along with the baseline self-assessment completed by the fellow. Evaluations are used to determine successful progression through the program. For more information on evaluations and matters of due progress and grievance policies, please see our Psychology Postdoctoral Handbook (PDF).
Training opportunities
Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship is designed to provide the most personalized training experience possible. For example, a fellow may select the Anxiety Disorders Service as the major emphasis, and Digestive Health as a minor emphasis or vice versa. As such, fellows are given the option of a “major” and “minor” clinical emphasis during their training year. The fellow will have the opportunity to provide services for the full spectrum of clinical problems, but will prioritize those areas to gain expertise in the domain in which they intend to specialize, while also having the opportunity to develop competencies in another area in order to broaden their skill set. For example, a fellow may select the Anxiety Disorders Service as the major emphasis, and Behavioral Medicine as a minor emphasis. Fellows will also have the opportunity to gain experience in teaching, research, and program development in order to fulfill their training needs.
Anxiety Disorders Service
The Anxiety Disorders Service provides assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and disorders of health anxiety. The supervisors for this service are Robert Brady, PhD, Sarah Garnaat, PhD, and Lauren Szkodny, PhD. Fellows will receive advanced clinical service delivery training in exposure-based therapies, cognitive interventions, and acceptance-based interventions. Opportunities for experience in program development and research are available in multiple program areas. These include Dr. Brady‘s ongoing research focused on the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions delivered by entry-level and lay providers in non-traditional mental health settings, Dr. Garnaat’s work on TMS and tDCS interventions to facilitate extinction learning in OCD, or Dr. Szkodny’s work promoting trauma-informed care in healthcare settings.
Faculty profiles
Robert Brady, PhD (University of Arkansas) – Dr. Brady joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2014. He serves as the Training Director of the Psychology Internship and Fellowship Programs and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Service. His clinical specialty is the delivery of cognitive and behavioral therapies for anxiety and related disorders. He conducts research in the development and implementation of brief, scalable psychotherapies for anxiety and related disorders for delivery in nontraditional mental health settings.
Lauren Szkodny, PhD (The Pennsylvania State University) – Dr. Szkodny joined the faculty at DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2019. She specializes in evidence-based psychotherapies for adults presenting with anxiety disorders, trauma- and stress-related conditions, depression, and personality and relationship problems. Her academic interests include models of psychotherapy integration, and consideration of psychotherapy, therapist, and patient processes. Her research centers on enhancing assessment of anxiety and trauma-related processes.
Sarah Garnaat, PhD (University of Houston) – Dr. Garnaat will join the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at DHMC and the Geisel School of Medicine in 2023. She has expertise in the assessment and treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders, using behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies. Her research focuses on the characterization of treatment-refractory OCD and the use of brain-based approaches, including noninvasive neuromodulation, to inform the development of novel treatments.
Digestive Health in Behavioral Medicine Service
The Embedded Psychiatry Service offers the Digestive Health fellowship through specialty training in obesity and bariatric medicine through our Gastrointestinal Medicine section and Weight and Wellness section. The supervisors for this position are Katrina Hacker, PhD, Sivan Rotenberg, PhD, and Jessica Salwen-Deremer, PhD. Fellows have the opportunity to participate on multidisciplinary teams and to get involved in related clinical and research projects based on interest, training goals, and need. Fellows also provide some brief evidence-based therapy for general behavioral medicine referrals.
Faculty profiles
Sivan Rotenberg, PhD (Concordia University) – Dr. Rotenberg joined the faculty of DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in December of 2016. She serves Director of the Behavioral Medicine Service and Embedded Psychiatry. Her area of specialization is Health Psychology with an emphasis on weight management interventions and coping with cancer and other medical conditions. At DHMC, she provides embedded services through the Weight and Wellness Program and the Dartmouth Cancer Center.
Jessica K. Salwen-Deremer, PhD (Stony Brook University) – Dr. Salwen-Deremer joined the faculty of DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2018, and has appointments in Psychiatry and Medicine. She is embedded in the section of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, where she provides evidence-based treatments for gastroenterological conditions. She also has expertise in treatment of sleep disorders and chronic pain. Her research primarily focuses on understanding the relationship between sleep and pain in individuals with GI conditions or obesity.
Child and Pediatric Psychology
The Child and Pediatric Psychology fellowship will offer one position for the 2024-2025 training year. The Child and Pediatric fellow provides services in outpatient psychiatric and primary care settings including the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic of the Department of Psychiatry at DHMC and Pediatric Primary Care. Within the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic the fellow delivers care to patients presenting with internalizing and externalizing behavioral disorders and our state of the art Autism Spectrum Disorders clinic. The fellow will also provide services through our integrated Primary Care clinic.
Faculty profiles
Kaitlyn P. Ahlers, PhD (University of Montana) – Dr. Ahlers joined the faculty at DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2021. Dr. Ahlers specializes in the assessment of neurodevelopmental disabilities and provides autism diagnostic evaluations through the DH Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental Services program. She also provides outpatient therapy and uses behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments for youth with a range of behavioral, anxiety, and stressor-related disorders, including children and adolescents with autism and co-occurring mental health conditions. Dr. Ahlers’ research focuses on addressing the co-occurring mental health needs of autistic youth, specifically trauma, with the goal of increasing the accessibility and effectiveness of evidence-based practices for youth on the spectrum.
James T. Craig, PhD (University of Arkansas) – Dr. Craig joined the faculty of DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2017. Dr. Craig uses behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches to treat children and adolescents presenting with conduct-related disorders, ADHD, sleep disorders, elimination disorders, anxiety, OCD and depression. He specializes in the treatment of aggressive, defiant and disruptive behaviors in children and adolescents. Dr. Craig’s research interests are in the areas of peer victimization, bullying prevention, and innovative treatments for children with aggressive and defiant behaviors that can be applied outside of traditional mental health care settings.
Christina Moore, PhD – Christina Moore is a child clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of disruptive behavior disorder, post-traumatic stress, and gender affirming care. She provides outpatient clinical services through the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics, including through integrated primary care and endocrinology. In addition to providing clinical care, Dr. Moore conducts research focused on increasing access to evidence-based interventions for youth living in rural settings at-risk of trauma and traumatic stress.