Within the Behavioral Medicine internship track, the HPRIR experience is an opportunity for an intern to specialize and expand their training in health promotion (e.g., cancer screening, tobacco treatment, physical activity) and resiliency (mind-body, integrative medicine) research through additional clinical and clinical research-related electives. The core of the experience takes place in the MGH Mongan Institute, where interns will have the opportunity to collaborate with multidisciplinary clinicians, clinical researchers, and health policy experts. Interns will gain experience with a variety of populations of individuals with chronic illnesses, caregivers, providers, healthcare systems and community populations.
The goals of the HPRIR intern experience are to: (1) provide interns with supervised clinical training in evidence-based treatments; (2) develop interns’ abilities to treat patients as part of a multidisciplinary care team; (3) provide an opportunity for interns to formulate and execute treatment plans; and (4) be a part of a multidisciplinary team of clinical researchers whose clinical work informs their research. Interns will see patients with chronic medical conditions and psychosocial stressors, direct individual and group supervision, resiliency training and clinical supervision, and opportunities to participate in departmental and hospital-wide seminars and lectures on health equity, implementation science, primary care, substance use, tobacco use, oncology, mixed methods research, palliative care, nursing, grant writing, and health policy.
All Clinical Fellows in Behavioral Medicine participate in core clinical training experiences, including 6-month rotations on Blake 11 Inpatient Psychiatric Service, DBT Team, GI Clinic, and Weight Center, and a year-long rotation in Outpatient Psychiatry. In addition to core clinical training experiences, HPRIR interns deliver evidence-based care to patients and research participants in a range of ongoing studies and clinical services, consistent with HPRIR’s mission to promote the development of accessible evidence-based interventions focused on resiliency, prevention, and survivorship. Examples of current interventionist opportunities include: a mind-body skills-based resiliency program for cancer survivors and tobacco treatment for cancer patients. Throughout the clinical internship year, HPRIR interns remain actively engaged in research, including through manuscript writing, developing grant proposals, and participating in weekly research meetings. HPRIR interns receive individualized mentorship and support from HPRIR director, Dr. Elyse Park, and HPRIR faculty to ensure progress toward achievement of all clinical, research, and broader professional development goals for the internship training year!