Brown Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Diversity Committee
| Diversity & Recruitment | Didactics | Faculty Training & Research |
| SIGs | Committee Members | Recent Trainees |
| Links |
Diversity-related resources at Brown and in Providence
The Brown Medical School Clinical Psychology Training Consortium actively promotes diversity of perspective and experience in its pursuit of academic excellence in research, teaching and service. The Committee on Diversity was formed in 2000 to assist in recruiting trainees who are from diverse backgrounds as well as those who have an interest in diversity issues, whether they be in the area of research or in working with clinical patients. The committee’s role has expanded to include the creation of both formal and informal educational forums for faculty and trainees. Diversity within the Consortium is defined broadly to include age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, and socio-economic background.
Further questions can be addressed to Judith DePue, EdD, Chair, Diversity Committee via email or telephone 401-793-8140.
Diversity and Recruitment
- The Committee completes a packet on Diversity at Brown that contains information on demographics of the patient populations at the hospitals affiliated with the Clinical Psychology Training Consortium, on-going research studies among underserved groups and/or ethnic groups and alumni contact information. To view this information please click here.
- Committee faculty members provide a “Diversity” orientation to intern applicants.
- Committee members assist with trainee recruitment at professional conferences.
Didactics
- The Committee has compiled a bibliography of readings on diversity available to seminar presenters (core seminars and track-specific seminars). To view please click here.
- Committee faculty members are a resource for other faculty interested in integrating diversity in their seminar presentations.
- The Committee 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.
- The Committee has sponsored two grand rounds on Diversity-related topics to date. Featured guest speakers include: Tawara Goode, MA. “Evidence-Base for Cultural and Linguistic Competency in Health Care.” December 2007; Anna Lau, Ph.D. "Three Legs of the Stool: Therapy Content, Engagement, and Intensity in Delivering Evidence-Based Treatments for Immigrant Families". September 2008.
Faculty Training & Research
- Members of the committee 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, supervision, clinical service and research.
- The Committee sponsors Faculty Training Workshops on Diversity. These include the following:
- "Multicultural Competence in Teaching and Supervision: Things you know and things you may not” with Lisa Bowley, Ph.D, April 2005
- "Multicultural Competence in Teaching and Supervision: Let’s Get Practical” with Lisa Bowley, Ph.D, November 2005.
- "Research with Underserved Groups: From Thought to Action” with Brown Consortium Faculty, J.Depue, C. Lee, R. Seifer, K. Phillips, E. McQuaid, K. Morrow, April 2007
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
- The Committee sponsors a SIG on Diversity and on Spirituality, Religion and Behavioral Health. Faculty, Interns and Post-doctoral fellows are invited to attend these meetings. The SIGs meet informally over dinner 2-4 times each year.
- Topics for the SIG meetings have included:
- Challenges and myths of doing therapy and research with the poor
- Lost in Translation: How to use interpreter services effectively
- Guess who’s coming to therapy: Getting comfortable with conversations on race and ethnicity in psychotherapy
- Refugee Mental Health and Wellness in RI
- Meditation as a tool for psychotherapy research and practice
- PFLAG: A national support group and resource for Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays.
Committee Members
| Adult Track Caron Zlotnick, PhD, Butler Hospital Christina Lee, PhD, Alcohol & Addictions Center |
Neuropsychology Track Eileen Johnson, PhD, Kent Co. Hospital |
| Child/Pediatrics Track |
Behavioral Medicine Track |
Intern Representatives Ted Wagener, BMed Tina Boisseau, Adult Madhavi Reddy,Adult Dawn Mechanic Hamilton, Neuropsychology |
Post-Doctoral Representatives Tanya Ratcliff, PhD, NIH T32 Fellow Amy Sato, PhD, NIH T32 Fellow Sue Wenze, PhD, NIH T32 Fellow Heather Hunter Rooney, PhD, NIH T32 Fellow |
Recent Trainees
Tyish Hall Brown, Ph.D.
My experience at Brown has been nothing short of amazing. The internship itself is full of opportunities, with faculty spanning a broad range of interests including those who specialize in research and clinical practice with minority populations. The internship makes it a priority to include issues of diversity in every facet of training, which makes it stand apart from many other sites. And on an individual level, the support I have received around both professional and personal issues has been unparalleled. Professionally, the faculty have been extremely encouraging, challenging me to work outside my comfort zone while guiding me through new experiences. They have taken into consideration my goals for each training experience and helped me to reach them successfully. Personally, they have supported me through the loss of a close relative and the excitement of raising a young toddler in the midst of a busy internship. I have learned a lot by their example as well as through the close mentorship the internship affords. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Brown and will definitely miss all that it has to offer. I hope to continue to foster the professional relationships and friendships that I have made during this time.
Farzin Irani, Ph.D
As an intern in the neuropsychology track, I have appreciated the commitment to excellence in training at Brown. My clinical and research mentors have been welcoming, encouraging and supportive of my professional and career development. There are efforts in place to promote diversity of perspective and experience here at Brown. In my interactions with faculty, staff and fellow students, I have appreciated that my cultural identity and unique views are respected and encouraged to flourish. As an intern representative on the diversity committee, I valued the opportunity to work with other individuals working to further diversity efforts in our field. This is overall, an outstanding training environment, and I am so glad to be a part of it.
Ernestine Jennings, Ph.D.
I chose to apply to the Brown Consortium for internship for the training opportunities provided through the Behavioral Medicine track. My clinical and research experiences were challenging and enlightening. I have learned a significant amount about the patient population and myself as a helping professional. As a postdoctoral fellow, I was able to continue to interact with community agencies to promote research partnerships developed during internship. While training at Brown I have been impressed with the level of support I received from supervisors and mentors as well as the commitment of the training program to incorporate diversity into the training experience on many different levels (i.e. didactic presentations, research placements, patient populations).
Richard Mulligan, Ph.D.
I am a Latino who completed the clinical internship program at Brown who is currently completing my first year of postdoctoral fellowship. My research focuses primarily on neuropsychology, substance abuse, and functional neuroimaging, but during my time here I have had the opportunity to see several culturally diverse clinical cases. I am grateful that my clinical supervisors have been supportive of my interest in using the most appropriate neuropsychological instruments to assess brain damage in clinical populations as this has been an interest of mine since before graduate school. Also, I have had the opportunity to do evaluations in Spanish and in English. I feel that the research and clinical training that I have received is outstanding, and I would highly recommend internship and postdoctoral training at Brown.
Marcel A. de Dios , Ph.D.
I am a post-doctoral fellow in Behavioral Medicine. My current research focuses on testing a culturally tailored tobacco cessation intervention for Latinos/Hispanics living with HIV. My fellowship at Brown has provided me with many opportunities to work with minority and Spanish-speaking clients. Also, the post-doctoral didactic seminars emphasize issues of diversity and compliment my work well. Overall, I have found the research community at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University to highly value and support both minority related research and scientists. I highly recommend the post-doctoral program to individuals seeking a comprehensive experience in a vibrant and diverse city.
Rashelle B. Hayes, Ph.D.
I am a post-doctoral fellow in Behavioral Medicine. My research has focused on developing and tailoring tobacco cessation interventions for a variety of diverse populations including: Latino parent smokers, low-income pregnant smokers, older medically ill smokers, and smokers living with a physical disability. During this time, I have been able to not only work with superb faculty with similar research interests, but also interact and engage with community leaders who are just as committed to continue research partnerships in this area. Additionally, I have had many opportunities to work with diverse individuals clinically (e.g refugees, low-income, Spanish-speaking, etc.) that have undoubtedly strengthened my clinical skills. The didactics that all post-doc fellows participate in are informative and showcase this program’s efforts to make diversity-related topics in research and clinical work a priority. Altogether, my experiences are complemented by the supportive and encouraging faculty, as well as by other fellow post-docs. I have enjoyed my time here and encourage others to look into joining our fun and diverse community.
Lavina Fiorentino, Ph.D. @ laviniafiorentino@ucla.edu
Links
Minority Training Programs
APA Science Directorate for both master's and doctoral thesis funding
Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships
APA Minority Fellowship Program
NIH Predoctoral Fellowship Awards for Minority Students
Doctoral Scholars Program/Southern Regional Education Board
Recruiting & Training
APA/CEMRRAT Plan for Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training
APA guide: Diversity and Accreditation
APA guide: How to Recruit and Hire Ethnic Minority Faculty
National Links
National Center for Cultural Competence
National Multicultural Institute
Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHD) from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Office of Minority Health Resource Center Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
EthnoMed (cultural beliefs, medical issues etc of Seattle immigrants and refugees)
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
Health Disparities Collaboratives
National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
APA Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues
National Multicultural Conference and Summit
Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists