Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow - Functional Disorders / Pain, Clinical Instructor

The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin is seeking applications for a 1-year Instructor (Postdoctoral Fellowship) position in Pediatric Psychology and Developmental Medicine with a focus on Functional Disorders. The instructor will provide extensive supervised clinical experiences within the Jane B. Pettit Pain and Headache Center and the Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic with patients and their families. Clinical activities include psychological assessment and psychotherapy for children and affected families as well as consultation and liaison services to schools and other community agencies. The fellow will also participate in several interdisciplinary clinics including Functional GI Disorders Clinic, Elimination Disorders Clinic, Chronic Pain Clinic, Headache Clinic, and Comfort Ability workshops. The fellow provides care to patients in outpatient settings and collaborates closely within the broader interdisciplinary teams. Fellows are expected to carry a caseload of approximately 25 patients.

Opportunities for umbrella supervision of psychology trainees are also available. In addition to clinical care, fellows will have time allotted for administration and professional development didactics. While the Functional Disorders fellowship is primarily clinical in nature, the fellow will also have opportunities to complete a scholarly project, deliver presentations, and engage in program development. Additional details about the program can be found at: https://www.mcw.edu/departments/pediatrics/divisions/Pediatric-Psychology-and-Developmental-Medicine.

Anticipated start date is September 1, 2025. 

Characteristics of an Instructor Rank appointment:

It is expected that Instructors at MCW, with the assistance of their supervisor, will:

• Transition to career independence through the development of professional skills that enable the postdoc to actively pursue a career of his/her own choosing.
• Be supervised by at least one faculty member who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
• Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates the postdoc's career and training goals.
• Participate in a scholarly project during their appointment.
• Attend a weekly professional development seminar.
• As postdocs are important members of the MCW community, appropriate levels of compensation, health care, and other benefits commensurate with their essential status will be afforded, independent of the postdoc's source of funding.

Primary Functions

• Under supervision, provide consultation, assessment and intervention with children and families.
• Function as member of a multidisciplinary health team, attend meetings, collaborate with other members and staff.
• Complete a scholarly project in line with the fellow’s career goals.  
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Medical College of Wisconsin

At the core of everything we do at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is the pursuit of new knowledge and the power of academic medicine. Bringing together the world’s top scientists and clinicians, inspired students, and invested communities, we are driven to solve the most complex challenges in health and society. MCW is home to a diverse group of thought leaders collaborating to build a healthier world and a continuous cycle of life-changing knowledge.  MCW has approximately 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty and approximately 3,445 full-time employees.

Children’s Wisconsin and Children’s Specialty Group

Children’s Wisconsin is the state’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. With more than 1.3 million annual connections with kids and families statewide, Children’s provides a wide range of care and support — everything from routine care to lifesaving advances and treatment options, foster care and adoption services, child advocacy, and provides an insurance plan.

Children’s and its joint venture with the Medical College of Wisconsin – the Children’s Specialty Group (CSG) - are the largest providers of pediatric healthcare in the state, serving the children and families of Wisconsin with the highest level of care through their American College of Surgeons Level I Children’s Surgery Verification Center, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence, 72-bed Level IV NICU, Level IV Epilepsy Center, and a 72-bed PICU. In 2021-2022, CW and CSG had six specialties ranked by US News & World Report: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; gastroenterology and GI surgery; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; and pulmonology.  With over 70 specialties and 675 providers, CSG providers had 220,000 outpatient visits at 13 regional care sites, 67,000 emergency department/trauma center visits, and over 9,000 admissions.

Our Commitment to Mental Health and Wellbeing

MCW recognizes the hard work and multiple responsibilities of our faculty and staff and is committed to improving wellness and wellbeing.  As part of MCW’s commitment, a multitude of resources are provided and encouraged including the Well-Being Index, literature/research, courses, and peer support programs.  MCW’s benefits specific to mental health include:

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP):  A free, confidential resource available to employees, dependents, and household members for mental health and well-being.
• Monthly Wellness Newsletter:  Provides resources, tools, and events to support the whole person by providing emotional well-being, nutrition, physical activity, self-care, social, spiritual, and financial wellness.
• Wellness Champions:  80+ employees serve as Wellness Champions to encourage mental, physical, social, and spiritual health through formal programs and informal opportunities to enhance wellness within teams and departments. 

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace that includes individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences.  We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within.  We strive to integrate our human and social differences into MCW’s functioning, strategies and culture to create a diverse and equitable workplace.  If you believe embracing individuality and working together makes us stronger, then MCW is the place for you.  People of color, women, LGBTQIA+, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We are committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status.  

Position Requirements:

• Minimum Required Education: PhD or PsyD
• Minimum Required Experience: Completion of an internship
• Preferred Education:  Applicants should have a PhD or PsyD from an APA-approved program in clinical or counseling psychology.
• Preferred Experience: Internship should be APA-approved with emphasis on child clinical or pediatric psychology, and experience working with pediatric populations. 

Knowledge – Skills – Abilities

• Required knowledge: Writing and documentation skills, record management, complex problem solving, critical thinking, resource management, and statistics and data utilization skills.
• Skills and abilities: Ability to complete a psychological assessment and provide intervention from a variety of theoretical orientations.

Medical College of Wisconsin

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is the state’s only private medical school and health sciences graduate school. MCW consists of a School of Medicine with campuses in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Central Wisconsin, a School of Graduate Studies, and a School of Pharmacy. MCW is a major national research center ranking in the top third of U.S. medical schools in NIH funding and is the second largest research institution in Wisconsin. Academic medicine is at the core of everything we do at MCW, bringing together scientists, clinicians, students and community members to solve the most complex challenges in health and society. MCW is a diverse group of thought leaders collaborating to pioneer pathways to a healthier world. Every study we conduct and every patient we see leads to new learning and a continuous cycle of life-changing knowledge and innovation.

Approximately 1,780 MCW physicians and approximately 905 advanced practice providers care for more than 484,000 patients of all ages annually at Froedtert Hospital, Zablocki VA Medical Center, Children’s Wisconsin, and many other hospitals and clinics throughout eastern Wisconsin, representing more than 5.1 million patient visits annually.

The beautiful, safe and modern campus of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) houses Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Wisconsin, Curative Care Network, Versiti Blood Research Institute and the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. These member entities share a common mission of excellence in patient care, medical education, biomedical research and community service.

Commitment to MCW Values

All of our endeavors at MCW, from our internal operations to our interactions with our partners, are driven by our shared organizational values: acting in Caring ways – engaging in Collaborative efforts – approaching our world with Curiosity – advancing Inclusive practices – demonstrating Integrity in all we do – treating everyone with Respect. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that values diversity in backgrounds, experiences and perspectives through merit-based processes, and in alignment with all applicable laws. We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within. Our values define who we are, what we stand for and how we conduct ourselves at MCW. If you believe in embracing individuality and working together according to these principles to improve health for all, then MCW is the place for you.

Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, is located on Lake Michigan’s western shore. A metropolitan area with more than 1.6 million people, Milwaukee is an affordable, comfortable place to live, work, and play, big enough to be exciting and uncongested enough to get around easily. Milwaukee’s many neighborhoods have incredible charm, accommodating a variety of lifestyles, from high-rise apartments to small farms. Nestled along a magnificent bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, Milwaukee’s downtown is home to botanical gardens, lakefront museums, a theater district, the world champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers, bustling nightlife, and award-winning restaurants. The lake and its harbors are skirted by scenic parklands and provide first-class opportunities for recreation, including hiking, cycling, boating, and more. A recent study ranked Milwaukee as the 15th most walkable of the 50 largest US cities. Milwaukee has all the advantages of a large, vibrant city but without the stress or cost.

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.