Individuals with a Ph.D. (or ABD) and a strong interest in mental health are invited to apply for a research scientist position with the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Department of Mental Health Services and Policy Research, located in New York City.  This position is dedicated to support of a statewide initiative to improve the quality and safety of psychotropic prescribing practices in NYS.  The award winning platform for the initiative, the Psychiatric Services and Clinical Knowledge System (PSYCKES), uses Medicaid data to provide support for clinical decision making and quality improvement.  This position is responsible for managing all aspects of this large implementation initiative, including developing and providing training and technical assistance, managing communications with participating community providers, managing reporting functions, and participating in evaluation of the initiative.  

 Prefered qualifications include a Ph.D. in psychology, social work, or other social science; experience with community mental health providers; and excellent analytical and writing skills.

 The Research Foundation, an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, is a private not-for-profit corporation and is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits.

To apply: Send resume/CV and cover letter to coevjjp@omh.state.ny.us .

This position is with the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc. and is affiliated with the Department of Mental Health Services Policy and Research at the NYS Psychiatric Institute, a joint department with Columbia University.  Members of the department have diverse backgrounds including psychiatry, social work, and epidemiology.

The New York State Office of Mental Health and Department of Health have established a major policy initiative to improve the quality and safety of psychotropic prescribing practices in NYS.  OMH has developed the Psychiatric Services and Clinical Knowledge Enhancement System (PSYCKES), a web-based program designed to identify Medicaid enrollees statewide who may benefit from a clinical review, and provides decision support tools to clinicans to help improve care. In addition, New York State will be the first in the country to develop a program allowing Medicaid enrollees to directly access their Medicaid treatment history, and participate in a shared decsion making process designed to educate and empower consumers. PSYCKES has been successfully used to dramatically reduce antipsychotic polypharmacy in OMH operated hospitals, and has won state and national awards for innovation.