The clinical aging program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Southern California are writing personally to encourage you to tell your best undergraduate students about doctoral training at USC. We are interested in recruiting students with an interest in aging and a desire to study clinical psychology and aging within a clinical science/scientist practitioner program with a strong focus on research training. Strong candidates would have solid GRE scores and a good GPA with some experience with research in psychology. The program and the clinical area have a good record in recruiting and training students from diverse backgrounds.
We offer specialty training in clinical psychology and aging in the form of a track within the clinical area of the Department. The clinical aging track emphasizes research training in the science of clinical psychology along with sound clinical training in work with older adults. Current research areas of faculty include: depression, dementia, twin studies, and evaluation of intervention programs (Gatz); cross cultural issues in family caregiving, age differences in emotion, and mental health policy (Knight); health psychology and psychological issues in adaptation to cancer (Meyerowitz). Within clinical-aging, it is possible, for example, to highlight health psychology or clinical neuropsychology or family systems. Research opportunities and coursework make use of the adult development and aging area in the psychology department, USC's Andrus Gerontology Center, and USC's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Trainees are supported through university fellowships, research assistantships, and the NIA-funded Multi-Disciplinary Training Grant in Gerontology at the Andrus Gerontology Center.
Graduates of the clinical aging track have gone on to faculty positions in university psychology departments and university medical centers, to positions in VA medical centers doing research and clinical supervision, and in a wide variety of contexts providing mental health services to older adults and their families. Students are very competitive for clinical internships, for postdoctoral positions, and for challenging jobs. Our graduates are in demand, particularly because of their combination of training experiences.
Interested applicants can learn more from the Department's web page at http://psychology.usc.edu
and the Clinical Program web page at http://psychology.usc.edu/clinical.php
And more about the faculty at:
Margaret Gatz, Ph.D., http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/psychology/SCRAP/
Bob G. Knight, Ph.D., http://www.usc.edu/dept/gero/faculty/Knight/
Beth E. Meyerowitz, Ph.D. http://psychology.usc.edu/faculty_homepage.php?id=36),
Bob G. Knight, Ph.D. Professor and Director of Clinical Training Department of Psychology The Merle H. Bensinger Professor of Gerontology University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061
