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Brown University Brown University Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Brown Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Diversity

We are very interested in improving the diversity of our training consortium and welcome applications from various cultural backgrounds. We have established a committee to further this goal. For further information on our supportive environment to promote diversity, please click here to download a file in pdf format. Further questions can be addressed to Judith DePue, PhD, Chair, Diversity Committee via email at JDepue@lifespan.org or telephone 401-793-8140.

Diversity Committee Accomplishments

The Committee includes faculty members from each of the four tracks (Adult, Behavioral Medicine, Child/Pediatrics, and Neuropsychology) and intern and postdoctoral trainee representatives. The Committee helped define the diversity goal for the Training Consortium: “To promote the diversity of perspective and experience in the pursuit of academic excellence in research, teaching and service.”

Recruitment

  • The Committee complies a packet on Diversity at Brown that contains information on demographics of the patient populations at the hospitals affiliated with the Psychology Training program, on-going research studies among underserved groups and/or ethnic groups and alumni contact information.
  • Committee faculty members provide a “Diversity” orientation to intern applicants.
  • Committee members assist with trainee recruitment at professional conferences.


Didactics

  • The Committee compiled a bibliography of readings on diversity available to seminar presenters (core seminars and track-specific seminars).
  • Committee faculty members are a resource for other faculty interested in integrating diversity in their seminar presentations.
  • Introduced a formal evaluation on the attention to diversity in didactic presentations (core seminars and track-specific seminars).
  • Committee members assist seminar organizers in increasing/improving presentations on diversity-related topics and making recommendations on appropriate speakers.
  • Sponsor/co-sponsor special presentations by outside speakers.

Grants

  • Assist with minority supplement grants, training grants and research studies that reach underserved groups.
  • The Diversity Committee was awarded a grant from the American Psychological Association (CEMRATT funds) to conduct training workshops for faculty to enhance their skills in attending to diversity issues in teaching and clinical service.

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

  • The Committee sponsors a SIG on Diversity that meet informally. Faculty, interns and post-doctoral fellows are invited to attend these meetings. The group meets 3-4 times each year.
  • Topics for the SIG meetings have included: Research among ethnic minorities, professional issues when working with GLBT groups, and working with interpreters.

Recent Trainees

Esteban Cardemil, Ph.D

I am a Latino and my research interests focus on minority populations. I have consistently found the Brown community supportive and respectful of my research ideas, goals, and plans. Although there are few minority faculty at Brown, I have found that the majority of the faculty demonstrate a willingness to consider cultural issues when conceptualizing clinical cases. I enjoyed my internship year at Brown, and I am staying on in a two-year postdoctoral position continuing my research in the prevention of depression in minority communities.


Desiree Byrd, Ph.D.

With an internship class as large as Brown’s it would be easy to become lost and feel isolated. However, during my time as an intern I felt very welcomed and a part of the program. My personal interest in obtaining additional experience conducting therapy with minority children and adolescents was supported and encouraged by my clinical supervisors. In addition, I felt that my relationship with my internship advisor was analogous to that of my graduate school advisor and mentor (i.e., challenging yet supportive). I believe the atmosphere of the internship is one marked by friendliness and multiple opportunities both during (e.g., clinical and research) and after the internship (e.g., postdoctoral fellowships). I am glad to have taken part in such an outstanding program that has enhanced my clinical, research, and professional development as a clinical psychologist.


Jianping Zhan

I am a Chinese and my graduate training was in Seattle where there is a large Chinese community. In the beginning, I was a little bit hesitant to come to Brown for my internship because Providence did not have a large Asian population. After a year of clinical training at Brown, I'm very happy that I made a right choice for my internship. The internship program makes a great effort to recruit minority interns and is genuinely interested in increasing the diversity, both culturally and life-style wise. During my internship, I had a chance to see a few Asian patients and a lot of Hispanic patients, which I did not have experience working with before I came to Brown. My supervisors, both for research and clinical work, were very open to consider cultural and ethnic issues, which I found supportive and very helpful. If you have the opportunity to do your internship at Brown, you won't regret it.


Nalini Tarakeshwar

I am an Asian-Indian who came to the United States for graduate studies. My research interests focus on examining the significance of cultural dimensions, particularly the role of religion, for mental and physical health of individuals. Despite there being not many faculty working in this specific research area, I enjoyed a lot of support and respect for my interest in religious issues. The faculty were willing to find opportunities that would meet my interests and goals, both in the clinical and research aspects of my training. Although I am now doing a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University, I continue to maintain my ties with the Brown community by collaborating on projects that are consistent with my interests in cultural dimensions of health.


Vanessa Nyborg

As a postdoctoral fellow , I have found the Brown community to be supportive and respectful of my career objectives and research interests. I have received strong mentoring from my clinical and research supervisors. Moreover, I have had the opportunity to be involved with a school based metal health initiative at Hope High school, who's student population is primarily Latino and African American.