Position: The Department of Health Psychology and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment at the University of Missouri-Columbia are seeking candidates for a Postdoctoral Fellowship position. The Postdoctoral Fellowship is a one-year position with a start date on or around July 1, 2024. This is a joint position with 50% of time focused on childhood obesity and 50% of time focused on children with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders with an emphasis on children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The fellow will participate in interdisciplinary health care diagnostic teams, supervision within a tiered model, and a wide variety of clinical and didactic opportunities to develop advanced competencies in the specialty areas of childhood obesity and ASD. This position is funded 50% from the Dept of Health Psychology (DHP) and 50% from the Thompson Center.

DHP Primary Activities: The postdoctoral fellow will primarily be involved in research and clinical research activities focused on the prevention and treatment of overweight/obesity in youth and their caregivers. Primary responsibilities will include authoring and co-authoring manuscripts and writing grants, as well as assisting with project development, data collection, and analysis. There will be opportunities to train and supervise undergraduate students and other trainees in research activities. Involvement in program development in multidisciplinary pediatric medical settings and collaborating with faculty from the School of Medicine and other departments in the College of Health Sciences (Social Work, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy) and from across the University of Missouri is expected. The fellow will also receive training and supervision in providing weight management treatment to children with overweight/obesity and their families.

Thompson Center Primary Activities: This postdoctoral training experience will include clinical activities focused on children with a range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Clinical activities will include participation in psychological and interdisciplinary evaluations and some intervention with children presenting with a wide array of difficulties, with the majority of clinical work focused on autism spectrum disorders. The fellow will also have opportunities for leading multi- disciplinary evaluations and supervision of less experienced clinicians (e.g., interns, practicum students). The fellow will also be supported in taking the EPPP exam and meeting other licensure requirements.

The postdoctoral fellow’s activities will also include didactic training. Activities will be coordinated between DHP and the Thompson Center to ensure training and professional development needs are met while also supporting the fellow’s balance between work and personal time.

DHP Setting: The Department of Health Psychology is located on the University of Missouri campus in the College of Health Sciences. The department has multiple outpatient clinics which provide neuropsychological evaluations and evidence-based evaluations and treatments for a variety of health conditions, such as chronic pain, insomnia, obesity, and others. The post-doctoral fellow will primarily be supervised by Crystal Lim, PhD, ABPP in the conduct of clinical research focused on pediatric obesity. Dr. Lim directs that Mizzou Health Psychology Research lab, which primarily focuses on three areas: 1) examining psychological and physical health comorbidities associated with obesity in children and adults, 2) developing and evaluating family-based and technology-based behavioral weight management interventions, and 3) exploring issues related to cultural and family factors that intersect with engagement in health behaviors and health equity. The fellow will have access to existing databases to develop presentations and manuscripts. The Department of Health Psychology has an internal grant program to support postdoctoral research. The Fellow can apply for up to $1,000/year to support research project costs or to support travel to a professional conference to present research.

Thompson Center Setting: The Thompson Center is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to research, training, and service innovations to improve the lives of individuals with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The Thompson Center is a unique collaboration of colleges and schools that brings together experts from numerous departments across the University of Missouri campus to expand research and services for children affected by neurodevelopmental disorders.

The Thompson Center integrates research, teaching, and service in one central location. Clinical services provided at the

Thompson Center currently include medicine, neuropsychology, pediatric psychology, occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, applied behavioral analysis, psychiatry, and education.

Please click on the available links for additional information about the College of Health Sciences, the Department of Health Psychology and the Thompson Center.

The University of Missouri (http://www.missouri.edu/) is the first public university west of the Mississippi River, is a major land-grant institution, and is Missouri's largest public research university. The University of Missouri is located in Columbia, a progressive community with a population of 100,000+ residents consistently rated as one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. Located halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City and 30 miles from the state capital in Jefferson City, the city boasts a range of cultural and recreational opportunities, affordable housing, a moderate cost of living, and excellent schools. For more information about Columbia, see http://www.visitcolumbiamo.com/.

Qualifications: Applicants must have a doctoral degree in clinical psychology or related degree from an APA-accredited doctoral program. Successful dissertation defense is expected prior to the start of postdoctoral fellowship. Non-completion of dissertation by the date contracted could result in a delayed start of fellowship or the loss of the fellowship opportunity.

Candidates will be evaluated on: Establishing collaborative clinical research relationships with interdisciplinary providers, Experience supervising research staff and other trainees, Research writing and presentation skills, Development of clinical research skills and independent line of research, Experience with children with autism spectrum disorders, testing and experience with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2) and/or the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R).

Salary: Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience for the applicant, with a starting salary of

$54,484.

Application: Applicants for the position should send the following:

1. Letter of interest
2. Current Curriculum Vita
3. Graduate Transcripts (unofficial)
4. Three letters of reference/recommendation (APPIC LOR acceptable for internal candidates)
5. Clinical work sample
6. One sample research presentation or manuscript publication

Deadline: February 1, 2024

Review of Applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Direct applications and questions to:

David Reddan Business Coordinator

Department of Health Psychology 701 S. Fifth Street

Columbia, MO 65203 reddand@health.missouri.edu

Values Commitment

The University of Missouri is fully committed to achieving the goal of a diverse and inclusive academic community of faculty, staff and students. We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person’s success.

Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate. We seek individuals who are committed to this goal and our core campus values of respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence.

Equal Employment Opportunity