Published May 18, 2020
The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ doctoral psychology internship has received accreditation status by the American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation.
The program, which was created in 2019, was recognized for its quality of training and deemed in “substantial compliance.”
The Internship is a full-time, 12-month long program that operates within the Department of Psychiatry.
Interns rotate through the Navigate Program (an outpatient clinic for those experiencing their first psychotic break), the Erie County Medical Center Psychiatric Inpatient Services, and the Oishei Children’s Hospital Children’s Psychiatry Clinic.
Additionally, interns gain valuable neuropsychological, forensic, chemical dependency, and other clinical experiences through elective rotations.
The internship provides a foundation for interns to become experts in understanding and treating mental disorders that fall under the umbrella of psychotic, affective and anxiety disorders, with emphasis on serious mental illness and early identification of symptoms.
An overarching goal of the internship is to bring high quality training and strong trainees to Buffalo and Western New York, with the intention of retaining these psychologists in the area upon graduation from the program and, thus, drive talent in WNY.
The APA noted UB’s internship program was “well-organized” and has “well-qualified supervisors to achieve its aims.”
With APA accreditation status, which initially is for a two-year contingency period, the internship meets the rigorous national standards set by the APA.
It also enables the program to recruit intern candidates from across the United States and Canada in a competitive national match system. The match traditionally takes place in February and the program will be eligible to participate next year.
“This is a prestigious accomplishment for our young program with immense benefits for recruitment and training,” says Daniel Antonius, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Division of Forensic Psychiatry and the Division of Psychology, who oversees the internship program. “Creating high-standard, nationally recognized training opportunities locally for our trainees adds strength to the field of psychology in WNY.”
Antonius says the APA accreditation reflects the tremendous amount of hard work put in by training director Alex Cogswell, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry; associate training director Corey M. Leidenfrost, PhD, research assistant professor of psychiatry; and program administrator Julie L. Mikula, as well as the quality of current interns and support from Department of Psychiatry faculty and staff.
The internship is funded and made possible by the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, with additional support from the Department of Psychiatry.
The Patrick P. Lee Foundation, based in Williamsville, New York, focuses its investments in mental health and education. Patrick P. Lee, who built International Motion Control, a worldwide conglomerate with manufacturing facilities, formed the foundation in 2007.