phd in psychology oregon

School of Medicine Clinical Psychology Program

Clinical psychology program.

The Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology (hereafter known as the Clinical Psychology PhD or Clinical Psychology Program) is the only one in Oregon that is sponsored and primarily housed within an academic medical center, and as such, this placement facilitates students' learning opportunities within the program's three key areas: 1) health psychology, 2) neuroscience of mental health disorders, 3) intervention development and evaluation. Learn how to apply.

Prospective Applicants

The CPP Program at OHSU recognizes that excellence requires both (a) representation of diverse voices, including people traditionally under-represented because of race or ethnicity, and (b) anti-racism education and active engagement in anti-racism efforts to affect positive change in research, clinical activity, and education. We are dedicated to providing excellent training to the next generation of clinical psychologists, and welcome applications from students from diverse backgrounds, especially Black or African-American, Latinx or Hispanic, Indigenous or Native, and other Persons of Color, and first-generation students who have historically been excluded from our field.

Please see the full version of the American Psychological Association's Apology to People of Color for APA's Role in Promoting, Perpetuating and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination and Human Hierarchy in the U.S.

https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology

Land Acknowledgement We acknowledge the original inhabitants and traditional village sites of the land Oregon Health & Science University is occupying and built upon: the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tumwater, Watlala bands of the Chinook, the Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, Wasco and many Indigenous nations of the Willamette Valley and Columbia River Plateau. We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land - past, present, and future.

Health Equity and Anti-racism Talks (HEART) The HEART series is a new institutional race, equity and inclusion speaker series at OHSU funded by a grant through the Racial Equity and Inclusion Funding Opportunity sponsored by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and Educational Improvement and Innovation. The planning committee is a collaboration of volunteers from OHSU Health Services, Clinical Psychology, Dermatology, Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, and Research & Innovation.

Meet the program director

Sydney Ey is Director of Clinical Training (DCT) of the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University, and a licensed clinical psychologist. Dr. Ey received her BA in Psychology from Yale University, her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Vermont and completed her internship at Judge Baker Children’s Center/Boston Children’s Hospital. She taught and supervised graduate students and predoctoral interns at several graduate programs before coming to OHSU.

Dr. Ey has a longstanding interest in promoting the well-being of learners and clinicians in the healthcare setting and provided therapy to medical trainees and faculty through the Resident and Faculty Wellness Program. She currently is the Psychological Support Lead on the OHSU Well-Being Leadership Team and directs the Wellness Consults for Leaders and Team. Her research has included the measurement of youth optimism and coping and medical trainees’ perfectionism, imposter feelings, and help-seeking attitudes. She enjoys spending time with her two young adult children who live nearby, reading biographies of inspiring people, and rowing early mornings on the Willamette with her husband.

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What makes our program unique?

The Clinical Psychology PhD program provides students with an in-depth focus on the following key areas:

Health psychology is the study and use of psychological methods to improve physical health and address physical disease in children and adults. This area closely overlaps with what is also referred to as behavioral health.
The neuroscience of mental health disorders, entails the study of brain structure, function, and connectivity that is associated with mental health conditions.
Implementation science emphasizes training in the development, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral and psychological interventions for mental disorders and behavioral health problems.

Thus, our graduates will have a complement of skills that bridge and unite health psychology, neuroscience, and implementation science.

The Clinical Psychology PhD program wishes to recognize several of the senior students, listed below with their research topics, who have completed their oral defense for their dissertations this summer/fall.

David Cameron , "Understanding mental health care utilization along the posttraumatic stress disorder clinical care pathway in the Veterans Health Administration."
Amanda Del Giacco , "Examining biopsychosocial risk factors for adulthood depression: Investigating the role of childhood trauma, adolescent reward-related neurocircuitry, and reward learning."
Eleanor Battison , "Post-Surgical Pain-Related Outcomes Among Ethnically Diverse Emerging Adults."
Olivia Doyle , "The role of emotion regulation during the perinatal period on stress and parenting."
Kat Selah , "New phenotypes for ADHD heterogeneity: Traits and change in adolescence."

Clinical Psychology Match Day a first for OHSU! Seven of our CPP PhD candidates join the mental health workforce at a critical time marking a significant moment for the program. Congratulations Kat, David, Madeleine, Eleanor, Olivia, Amanda, and Kate! Read the post in OHSU Now here .

Current Graduate Students

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PhD Degree Requirements

Through courses, mentorship, and academic community, the psychology department equips doctoral students to engage in interdisciplinary research across different areas of psychology: clinical, cognitive/neuroscience, developmental, social/personality, and systems neuroscience. By collaborating with researchers from other areas of psychology, doctoral students conduct innovative research that informs progress both in the field and in society at large. Open science practices enable our doctoral students to ensure that their research is replicable and high-quality.

Doctoral Student Handbook (Fall 2024)

Degree Requirements

The department expects that most students will complete their doctoral degree in 5-7 years.

Data Analysis Sequence, Psy 611, 612, 613
First Year Research Sequence (three terms, includes Ethics)
Core Course Sequence (three out of five Core Courses)
First Year Research Requirement
Supporting Area Requirement
Major Preliminary Examination
Doctoral Dissertation

Program of Study

With the exception of students who study clinical psychology, no particular courses other than those listed above are required. However, students and their advisors should develop a program of courses, seminars, and practica appropriate to their academic and career goals. Because students in the graduate program come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and because their interests may require very different graduate programs, students may petition the Graduate Education Committee (GEC) to allow deviations from any requirement. For example, students with extensive background in statistics may petition to waive any or all of the data analysis sequence. A student entering with a Master’s degree may petition to have previous coursework and/or research apply towards satisfying one or more of the other requirements.

Scholarly Research

The PhD is a research and scholarly degree, and it is expected that students will be engaged in research throughout their graduate program. The ultimate goal of the graduate curriculum is to enable students to formulate interesting research questions and to put those questions to adequate empirical test. Therefore, student research is a basic and integral component of graduate work throughout the entire degree.

Teaching Experience

Although teaching experience is not formally required for the PhD, most students obtain experience in teaching, as a teaching assistant and/or as the sole instructor in an undergraduate course. Since experience at teaching is important for academic appointments, most students should do some teaching during their stay in the program.

Clinical Psychology Program

Students intending to receive their degree in clinical psychology have additional requirements. These requirements are discussed in our guide to the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program.

Clinical Program Guide (Fall 2024)