Neuropsychology Fellowship

Overview

The neuropsychology faculty in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine offer a full-time two-year neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship. The fellowship is a member program of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN), and as such participates in the APPCN match for all clinical neuropsychology fellowship applicants. It is exclusively adult-focused and involves primarily clinical and didactic activities, with a minor emphasis in clinical research. Patient populations include a number of neurological and medical conditions, such as neurosurgical cases (e.g., DBS, tumor, etc.), movement disorders, epilepsy, various dementias, multiple sclerosis, concussion, and stroke, amongst others. Patients are seen on an outpatient basis through the University of Colorado Hospital Neuropsychology Clinic and are referred from several specialty clinics from within the University of Colorado Hospital Neurosciences, and a variety of other medical offices throughout the Denver area.

Training Goals

Training is designed to adhere to the APPCN mission to foster the development of advanced postdoctoral education and training programs in clinical neuropsychology and to establish standards for residency programs in clinical neuropsychology that lead to the development of competency in this area of specialty practice. In accordance, the University of Colorado School of Medicine Neuropsychology Fellowship offers a Major Area of Study in clinical neuropsychology that meets the guidelines set forth by the Houston Conference Guidelines on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology, which have since been adopted by the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN). Our faculty strongly emphasize the importance of these guidelines to all fellows who enter the program, with the end-goal of seeking board certification in clinical neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)/ABCN.

Educational Requirements and Opportunities

An essential component of the training experience during this fellowship are the didactic experiences. We are pleased to be able to offer a wide range of didactic opportunities, including the following:

• Adult Neuropsychology Seminar
  
• Neuropsychology Case Conference
  
• Neuropsychology Board Certification Preparation
  
• Neuroanatomy Review
  
• Pediatric Neuropsychology Seminar (Children’s Hospital Colorado)
  
• Deep Brain Stimulation Patient Care Conference
  
• Epilepsy Surgery Patient Care Conference 
  
• Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Conference
  
• Multiple Sclerosis Team Conference
  
• Brain Tumor Conference
  
• Neurosurgery Grand Rounds
  
• Neurology Grand Rounds 
  
• Neurosurgery Observation
  
• Wada Observation

Supervision Expectations and Requirements

Fellows are assigned two primary supervisors for two 6-month rotations each year, though this is somewhat of a flexible model that may be modified depending on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on schedules, etc. This facilitates greater depth of experience via exposure to supervisors’ styles and clinical experience. Fellows are expected to receive two to three hours of direct supervision per week. This includes direct observations during patient interviews and follow up appointments, one-on-one discussion and supervision for the purpose of case conceptualization, group supervision via the neuropsychology didactics such as journal club and the board certification prep series, and supervision provided on an as-needed basis depending on clinical demands. In addition, supervision is provided in the form of detailed editing and discussion with supervisors on all neuropsychology reports completed by the fellow. Finally, we strive to provide the opportunity for fellows to supervise more junior trainees within the context of a vertical supervision model, so they can begin the process of learning about training from the supervisor perspective.

Neuropsychology Faculty

The Neuropsychology Fellowship includes six neuropsychologists, four of whom are board certified: 

• Christopher Domen, PhD, ABPP-CN (Associate Training Director, Associate Professor)
• Michael Greher, PhD, ABPP-CN (Training Director, Professor of Clinical Practice)
• Brian Hoyt, PhD, ABPP-CN (Head, Neuropsychology Division, Associate Professor)
• Michelle Miranda, PhD (Assistant Professor)
  
• Joie Molden, PhD, ABPP-CN (Clinical Director, Assistant Professor)
• Amelia Nelson Sheese Ph.D, ABPP-CN (Associate Training Director, Associate Professor)