Madison, WI
Madison, WI
William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital
The Madison VA Medical Center (William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital) and its academic affiliate, the University of Wisconsin, seek to train medical and associated health professionals in scholarly work and leadership in addictions treatment, with particular focus on health services research, clinical research, and quality improvement.
Program Description
The Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addiction Treatment at Madison VA trains psychologists, social workers, and physicians to: 1) conduct innovative research in addiction treatment, 2) provide evidence-based treatment for addictions and co-morbid conditions, and 3) effectively manage teams, services, or programs that serve Veterans with addictions.
Fellows spend at least 75% of their time engaged in research, education, and scholarly activities and up to 25% providing clinical care. Fellows develop and conduct a scholarly project focused on addiction treatment under the mentorship of Madison VA training faculty. Scholarly projects can involve developing novel addiction-focused research projects such as a VA Career Development Award, VA pilot funding, addiction treatment quality improvement or program development projects, and disseminating research findings through publishing peer-reviewed papers and presenting at national conferences.
Fellows immerse themselves in clinical rotations along a comprehensive continuum of patient-centered evidence-based addiction treatment services, from prevention, outpatient treatment, specialty clinics, to residential and inpatient care. Scholarly and clinical training is enriched by didactic opportunities at the Madison VA and by joint training opportunities with our academic affiliate, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
CLINICAL AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Fellows learn to provide treatment for complex addiction and comorbid conditions by working with training faculty who have vast experience working within VA interdisciplinary clinical care teams. Clinical opportunities are individualized to Fellows’ interests and may include addiction treatment in outpatient and residential settings, PTSD Clinical Team, DBT Team, Whole Health, Pain Clinic, Sexual Health and Wellness, Women’s Health Clinic, Behavioral Sleep Disorder Clinic, Transplant Clinic, Tobacco Treatment Clinic, and Integrated Primary care Mental Health Services.
Fellows engage in a range of scholarly activities individualized to their interests and career goals. For example, Fellows can conduct program evaluation projects within programs that impact services for Veterans with addictions (e.g., in the Sexual Health and Wellness Clinic working with an ASSECT certified sex therapist), or they could develop an addiction-related quality improvement project in a program or clinic (e.g., Whole Health, Behavioral Sleep Clinic). Fellows with an interest in tobacco treatment clinical research can train in a VA Merit-funded tobacco treatment research laboratory and conduct secondary data analysis of tobacco treatment clinical trial data. Qualified Fellows can develop a VA Career Development Award. Fellows can also participate in training opportunities at the University of Wisconsin-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI).
FOCAL AREAS
- Addiction health services research
- Technological applications in treatment
- Pharmacotherapy
- Behavioral health integration into general medical settings
- Treatment engagement and retention
- Quality improvement
- Development of effective tobacco dependence treatments
APPLICATION PROCESS
Disciplines Accepted
Disciplines Accepted: Psychologists, social workers, physicians.
- Please submit a letter of interest (maximum two pages), Curriculum Vita, and three letters of recommendation. The letter of interest should include: a brief summary of educational, clinical, and research experiences relevant to addiction treatment and a statement of career goals.
- Please contact Ashley Snyder to apply for the social work position and Dr. Cook to apply for the psychology position. Physicians can reach out to Dr. Cook to be connected with a physician mentor.
Requirements
- U.S citizen
- Commitment to pursuing career focused on advancing Veteran care through addiction research, leadership, and clinical service.
- Obtained relevant training (psychologists should have a doctoral degree from APA accredited program; social workers should have a Master's in Social Work from an accredited U.S. university program and have completed a clinical internship in a psychiatric or substance abuse treatment setting)
Madison VA Hospital
The Madison VA Hospital and Clinics serves 82,000 Veterans across 19 counties in Wisconsin & Illinois. Madison VA offers a wide range of addiction services and access to care for the greater community and consistently receives high performance ratings for our exceptional commitment to veteran-centered care and excellence across quality and experience metrics. Madison VA also has a well-established infrastructure and processes for undertaking clinical research, including support for participant recruitment and space for study procedures. We have active research studies that range in scale from basic science to human clinical trials to systems-level healthcare delivery. Madison VA is also home to one of the VA's 20 Geriatric Research Education & Clinical Centers (GRECCs). The Madison VA has been designated as a Network of Dedicated Enrollment (NODE) Site to support efforts of the Cooperative Studies Program, and the facility was recently selected as a new site in the NAVIGATE (NCI and VA Interagency Group to Accelerate Trials Enrollment) consortium.
University of Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin (UW), located in Madison, Wisconsin, is one of the nation’s premier teaching and research universities, enrolling over 41,000 students and employing over 16,000 faculty and staff. It is the 8th largest research university in the nation. With its leading scholars, cutting-edge research, and premier teaching hospital and outpatient clinics, UW offers numerous didactic and learning opportunities for VA Fellows.
UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI)
The University of Wisconsin-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) is the designated University of Wisconsin, transdisciplinary entity entrusted with the challenge of reducing tobacco dependence and its consequences in our society. Known for groundbreaking tobacco research and translating findings into practice, UW-CTRI conducts research across Wisconsin and beyond, aiming to improve understanding of tobacco dependence and enhance policy responses. With a staff of over 50 and funding primarily from competitive NIH grants, UW-CTRI's Outreach Program, including the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line, provides free coaching and assistance statewide to reduce tobacco use's physical, emotional, and financial toll.
Fellows with an interest in tobacco dependence treatment can participate in training opportunities at the UW-CTRI. This includes opportunities to participate in team science research meetings, collaborate with UW-CTRI staff, and attend didactic seminars on tobacco research. UW-CTRI affords VA fellows the opportunity to learn smoking cessation clinical trial methodology, health system-level interventions, ecological momentary assessment and intensive longitudinal data analysis, and psychosocial and pharmacological tobacco treatments.
Jessica Cook, PhD
Jessica Cook, PhD, is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW-SMPH) and an investigator at the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UWCTRI). Dr. Cook is also a Clinician Investigator at the William S. Middleton Memorial VA, where she directs the Veterans Tobacco Research Group and co-directs the VA Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addictions Treatment. Dr. Cook’s program of research focuses on developing more effective tobacco dependence treatments. This research involves developing interventions for people initially not ready to quit as well as for those at increased risk for relapse (e.g., smokers with psychiatric comorbidity), and identifying mechanisms of behavioral change in tobacco treatment. Dr. Cook’s work is supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Ashley Snyder, LCSW, CSAC
Mrs. Snyder is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, and an Independent Clinical Supervisor. She has worked for the VA for 11 years as a Clinical Social Worker/Substance Use Disorder Counselor, providing dual diagnosis treatment to Veterans while focusing on utilizing a continuum of care approach. Mrs. Snyder focuses majority of her clinical work targeting programing to meet the needs of many individuals who have substance use disorders and personality traits that interfere with the traditional treatment process. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness based interventions, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Moral Reconation Therapy and Coping Skills Group for Substance Use Disorders. Currently. Mrs. Snyder also serves as a consultant for the the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders program within the VA. Prior to working at the VA, Mrs. Snyder was a treatment provider and case manager for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and primarily worked with the high risk/high need population as they re-enter into a community setting from an institution. Mrs. Snyder currently works at the Addictive Disorders Treatment Program (ADTP) located in Madison, WI as a Senior Social Worker and Social Work Education Coordinator. While at ADTP, Mrs. Snyder has facilitated and trained numerous students and staff members on ASAM Levels of Care, Evidenced Based Practice Interventions for Substance Use Disorders, SBIRT Interventions and National Drug Court Treatment Standards.
ABOUT MADISON
Madison is the capital of the State of Wisconsin with an estimated population of 243,344. Madison has consistently ranked near the top of Money Magazine's best-places list since its initial listing in 1996.