"Training the Next Generation of Clinical Researchers in Stress Mechanisms and Mental Health" Postdoctoral Program
Thank you very much for your interest in the postdoctoral fellowship program "NextGen: Training the Next Generation of Clinical Researchers in Stress Mechanisms and Mental Health."
The application period is open for candidates in the postdoctoral program in Fall 2026.
Applications for the 2027 cohort will open in December 2026.
Please keep an eye on this site for any updates related to the program or reach out to us by email: [email protected].
Please direct any questions to [email protected] and [email protected].
Description of program and admission procedure
Program Focus. This NIMH-funded postdoctoral program trains researchers to link basic psychological theories and research to preventing and ameliorating disease. There are two areas, and cross-cutting both areas is a consideration of racial/ethnic disparities in mental and physical illness and the mechanisms by which they occur. The two areas are: (1) Biobehavioral Mechanisms. (2) Innovative Interventions. There is an emphasis on life span approaches, specifically developmental processes as a critical period. We emphasize common pathways to multiple disease outcomes, especially those spanning mental and physical illness.
Program Structure. Fellows will be appointed for two years. In some instances, an optional third year may be possible. It is expected that about one-third of the fellow's time will be spent in formal seminars. All fellows take a core Biology and Affective Science and a Research Process Seminar in both years of the fellowship and may take other courses and seminars. The remaining two-thirds of the fellows’ time will be conducting research. Fellows will participate in their faculty mentor's research laboratory and will develop their own research study or work with a faculty mentor on secondary data analyses.
Faculty. There are 17 faculty in our program including psychologists, psychiatrists, internists, pediatricians, sociologists, and biostatisticians. Fellows will be expected to work with a primary mentor from among the faculty.
Stipend. Stipend levels are set by NIMH and depend on years of related experience.
Admission Procedure
Qualifications. The program is designed primarily for PhD and/or MD psychologists or psychiatrists who have a strong foundation in theory and methods and seek an opportunity to deepen and/or expand their research skills. In order to qualify for this federally funded grant, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national or a foreign national possessing a visa permitting permanent residence in the U.S.; having a temporary or student visa is not acceptable under this grant. However, we would be happy to consider applications of non-citizens if applicants are able to find funding individually through their own government or other sources.
Lucy Kho
Fellowship Administrator
Health Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
University of California, San Francisco
675 18th St., PB-5250
Box 0984
San Francisco, CA 94143
Email: [email protected] & [email protected]