Become a fellow in our postdoctoral rehabilitation research training community at VCU and Central Virginia VA Health Care System. As a member of this community, you will build a foundation for your career with Richmond’s wealth of multidisciplinary rehabilitation research training and expertise. At least four postdoctoral scholars will train simultaneously in rehabilitation research, creating a robust mentor and peer network, and shared training resources.
Richmond is a uniquely rich environment for rehabilitation research and training. The Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering (CERSE) is a VCU-wide research center. CERSE/ARRT faculty have 60 grants/contracts with $111M in total awards, which fund a robust scientific mentoring network and research operations infrastructure to support high quality research fellow training. CERSE/ARRT research faculty lead the V.A.-funded, Long-term Impact of Military-relevant Brain Injury Consortium (LIMBIC, $33M/5 years). Richmond hosts the only U.S. Academic-Veterans-Civilian partnership to be awarded NIDILRR SCI and TBI Model System grants, as well as a V.A. TBI Model System grant. CERSE partners with three core clinical institutions: (1) VCUHealth (Virginia’s primary safety net health system of care), (2) Sheltering Arms Institute (SAI, a 114-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility), and (3) the Central Virginia Veterans Affairs Health Care System (CVHCS, which houses one of five V.A. Polytrauma Centers of Excellence and the V.A. system’s largest SCI rehabilitation program). These clinical partnerships provide ARRT fellows with access to a broad spectrum of clinician collaborators and research participants. We also have extensive, long-term collaborations with Commonwealth of Virginia Agencies and Community Organizations that provide fellows with access to participatory action research collaborators who have lived experience of disability.
NIDILRR Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Program in Neurorehabilitation
Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the VCU ARRT is one of five prestigious research training programs on the rehabilitation of health and function. The VCU ARRT focuses on neurorehabilitation and provides rich research training with the opportunity to: (1) grow an independent line of research with a publication record of achievement; and (2) develop expertise in intervention development, participatory action research, clinical trial design, and grant writing. The VCU ARRT provides an evidence-informed, independent development plan (IDP)-driven, multiple-mentor training environment for fellows to build the skills and record of achievement needed to obtain a research faculty position. At least two ARRT-funded fellows will train concurrently, and have access to a cohort of postdoctoral research fellows and early career faculty across VCU and CVHCS. The VCU ARRT provides a supportive research mentoring environment that includes people with lived experience of disability. Core program features include didactic and hands-on research training, a broad local and national mentorship network, large national research and health claims data registries for secondary data analyses, finance, regulatory and pre-award grant support, biostatistical training and resources, and leadership and communication training. Apply for the ARRT post-doctoral training fellowship.
Richmond VISN 6 Mid-Atlantic MIRECC
The Central Virginia VA Health Care System’s (CVHCS) Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (MIRT) in Richmond, VA (“MIRECC Fellowship”) anticipates two openings for two-year, research-oriented (75% research, 25% clinical), clinical or counseling psychology postdoctoral Fellows to begin between July 1st and September 30th, 2025. The MIRECC fellowship is led by a VCU CERSE affiliate faculty member in the VA system and provides access to CERSE’s robust scientific mentoring network and research operations infrastructure to further support high quality research fellow training. This fellowship is ideal for candidates interested in Veterans’ research and obtaining a VA OR&D research career development award. Apply for the MIRECC.
REACH Program
The REACH program seeks a 2-year, clinical research-focused postdoctoral fellow in psychology or a related field. The DOD grant award funding this fellowship, Resources for Enhancing All Caregivers’ Health-Traumatic Brain Injury (REACH-TBI), is a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a personalized, telehealth intervention for caregivers of Veterans and Military Service Members with a history of TBI. The postdoctoral fellow will serve as an interventionist for the clinical trial and be responsible for delivering REACH-TBI, a brief telehealth behavioral intervention for caregivers of Veterans or Military Service Members with TBI. This fellowship is ideal for candidates looking to obtain clinical hours for licensure while supplementing the development of independent research in TBI. Apply for the REACH Fellowship.
Apply for Postdoctoral Rehabilitation Research Fellowships
Each program has different eligibility requirements, application components and recruitment timelines.
Apply through our VCU jobs portal and the affiliate VA portal. Applicants are encouraged to apply for multiple programs concurrently.
Learn more and Apply for the ARRT.
Learn more and Apply for the MIRECC.
Learn more and Apply for the REACH Fellowship.
