Prospective Graduate Students

For 2024, Drs. Forman, Juarascio, and Manasse are planning on taking a PhD student; Dr. Butryn may take a PhD or MS student, pending grant funding (status will be determined in October); Drs. Forman, Hagerman, Juarascio, LaFata (formerly Schulte), Manasse, and Srivastava are planning on taking an MS student. Interviews will take place in February and March of 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions About Applying to Our Research Labs

WELL Center Projects, Trainees, and Outcomes

Meet Our Current Graduate Students

Prospective Undergraduate Students

The WELL Center has training opportunities for undergraduates from Drexel, University of Pennsylvania and other local universities. The opportunities take the form of research assistantships, part- and full-time co-ops, STAR student sponsorships and supervised honors thesis projects. If you have questions email wellcenter@drexel.edu.

Click here to apply

mPOWER Summer Research Fellowship

The Minority Pipeline for Obesity and Eating Disorder Research (mPOWER) fellowship is designed to provide research experience and mentorship to underrepresented racial/ethnic minority individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in eating disorders and/or obesity research. Applications are due December 1, 2023 and fellowship decisions will be made in early February, 2024 for Summer 2024 fellowships.

Click here for the application and more information

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Positions

We are currently recruiting for several Postdoctoral Research Fellows in the areas of adolescent or adult obesity, eating disorders, and health-related behavior change under the supervision of Meghan Butryn, Evan Forman, Adrienne Juarascio, Ph.D. and/or Stephanie Manasse, Ph.D. Fellows will be assigned 1-2 primary mentors depending on their interests. Applicants should specify and rank order in their cover letter which mentor(s) they are interested in working with.

The positions entail working on NIH-funded clinical trials examining innovative interventions for adolescent and/or adult eating disorders, obesity, or disease prevention. Most positions will have both clinical and research components, with the split being flexible depending on interests, previous training, and availability. Applicants from fields other than psychology are also encouraged to apply. This training experience is designed to build expertise in clinical research in the areas of adolescent or adult eating disorder or obesity treatment. Fellows will engage in manuscript and grant-writing activities, and, depending on the position, may assist in the development of treatment protocols, lead interventions, supervise research staff, provide training to graduate students and junior team members. Good statistical and writing skills (e.g. publications) are required. Some positions may require experience with assessment methods (e.g., semi-structured diagnostic interviews) and a strong background in cognitive-behavioral and/or eating and weight-related treatments.

The positions may involve taking a prominent role in a number of NIH-funded projects that are developing and testing novel treatments. These projects include:

• Juarascio: Development and evaluation of innovative treatments for eating disorders, with a current focus on both mindfulness and acceptance based treatments for eating disorders (NIMH R01) and just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) augmentations to CBT for eating disorders (NIMH R01)
• Butryn: behavioral weight loss, with a focus on optimal use of digital self-monitoring data; interventions to reduce intake of ultra-processed foods; improving adherence to dietary guidelines for cancer prevention; development of a patient navigator model to assist adults in identifying and persisting with evidence-based weight loss interventions
• Manasse: Developing and testing novel treatments for adolescent and adult problematic eating behavior, including: An acceptance-based healthy lifestyle modification program for diverse adolescents (NIH R61/R33); A novel intervention integrating a sleep-focused intervention with lifestyle modification for adolescents (NIH R03); interventions to improve outcomes for binge-spectrum eating disorders (NIH projects under development/under review)
• Forman: novel behavioral and technology-based interventions to promote health behavior; currently running 3 NIH R01-funded projects, i.e., Activate (Multiphasic Optimization Strategy Trial evaluating the independent effects of mindfulness and acceptance components of behavioral weight loss, ReLearn (evaluating an AI system for optimizing the delivery of weight loss interventions), and NeuroFit (evaluating whether gamification and neurocognitive training improve engagement and weight loss outcomes for men).

The fellow could assist with development and iteration of the treatments; data processing and analysis; and manuscript write-up. In addition, the fellow will help develop follow-up designs and grant proposals.

Research activities may include:

• Overseeing research coordinators, undergraduate and graduate students
• Monitoring study protocols
• Assisting in the development of a treatment protocols
• Providing training to graduate students
• Assisting with development and iteration of the technologies, methodologies and algorithmic functions of the research projects
• Data processing and analysis
• Conducting statistical analyses
• Developing follow-up designs and grant proposals
• Writing scientific manuscripts.

Clinical activities may include:

• Clinical service and/or supervision of clinical service.
• Conducting assessments of potential participants.
• Leading treatment groups.
• Conducting outpatient treatment for adults or adolescents with eating and weight disorders.

Submit application here

Clinical Postdoctoral Fellow - Eating Disorders

We are currently recruiting for recruiting for a Postdoctoral-fellow-to-permanent-psychologist position under the supervision of Paakhi Srivastava, Ph.D.

The position entails working as a clinician in the WELL Clinic to deliver evidence-based treatments for eating disorders. The position is fully clinical, with 100% of the time dedicated to direct clinical contact, case management, individual and group supervision (2-4 hours per week), and administrative duties related to clinical work. The majority of the fellow's time will be spent in delivering individual outpatient treatments (e.g., CBT) for eating disorders. The fellow will carry a caseload of approximately 15-20 individual patients and will gain sufficient hours for licensure after 1 year. This training experience is designed to build expertise in evidence-based treatment for eating disorders and to gain mandated hours and supervision for state licensure purposes.

Once licensed, the postdoctoral fellow will transition to the permanent psychologist position. In the new role, depending upon interest, the psychologist will provide training and supervision to the trainee clinicians (e.g., clinical interns), lead the development of a new treatment track, participate in outreach programming to local area providers to improve awareness of eating concerns and familiarity with WELL Clinic services; and engage in ongoing training to remain aware of current treatment trends and gain competency in specialized treatments that have proven efficacy (e.g., mindfulness and acceptance-based treatments for eating disorders). Finally, the WELL Clinic will support the clinician by offering ongoing weekly group supervision and by supporting continuing education opportunities.
This position also offers opportunities to collaborate on research (e.g., co-developing treatment manuals, provision of treatment as a study therapist, writing scientific manuscripts, and presenting papers at conferences), though this allocation is flexible depending on interests. This is an excellent opportunity to work directly with and gain mentorship from leading authorities in eating disorder treatment.

The ideal candidate will have a doctorate in clinical psychology and have experience with CBT for eating disorders. Training and experience with evidence-based, manualized, and/or cognitive behavioral treatments for psychopathology (e.g., anxiety, depression, eating disorders) are required.

People without eating disorder specialization with a strong background in cognitive behavioral treatment and masters level clinicians are encouraged to apply; strong training in treatment for eating disorders will be provided.

Submit application here

Research Coordinator

No positions are open currently. However, the WELL Center generally hires 1-4 research coordinators per year, so please check this page again in the future. Research coordination roles usually include overall coordination of all study elements; implementing an advertisement/recruitment plan; refining and implementing the assessment protocol; scheduling and conducting participant screening and clinical assessments; managing data and databases; maintaining contact and approvals with NIH and IRB; and collecting data with weaable sensors. The position serves as excellent preparation for a PhD in clinical psychology or a related role.