Widener University and Aids Care Group Receive $190,000 Grant for an Internship Program

Chester, PA – The Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology (IGCP) at Widener University was awarded a grant from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to begin a Center for Integrative Medicine Internship Program, which will offer students internship opportunities in health psychology for the 2014-15 year.

The HRSA internship training grant for $190,000 was given to Widener along with the Aids Care Group, a non-profit organization that provides medical care, dental care, and social services to uninsured and underinsured minority residents of Chester. The AIDS Care Group is currently the only internship site IGCP offers to students focusing on health psychology.

According to Dr. Sanjay Nath, associate dean and director of the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology, “this grant further differentiates our already unique internship program in being able to offer students advanced training in working with underserved populations, an area of tremendous growth in 21^st century clinical psychology practice.”

The funding will be used to develop training in primary care health psychology as part of the Center for Integrative Medicine Internship Program.

“HIV, mental illness, and addiction are chronic diseases and contributing factors to poor health indicators in Chester where Widener University and AIDS Care group are located,” Dr. Kevin Moore, director of Integrative Medicine at AIDS Care Group, said. “This collaborative approach to care will train students to have the unique clinical skills needed to assist the targeted population, while also supporting a great need in this community.”

This new internship program will introduce PsyD students to a clinical curriculum with interprofessional training within the setting of a community-based medical provider agency serving people living with HIV/AIDS. It’s designed to encourage accessibility and retention in care for patients and retention and professional commitment to underserved populations among the graduate students.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for our students to gain interprofessional experience, while working with an underserved population” Dr. Linda Knauss, professor and director of internship training, said. “It supports a more inclusive model of care with a diverse population.”