Primary Care Behavioral Health Fellowship
The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School is actively recruiting for postdoctoral fellows in primary care behavioral health. This two-year fellowship provides training on the integration of behavioral health in primary care. Fellowship training is available in a variety of clinic locations serving unique and diverse populations across the Twin Cities.
Fellow activities include:
- Providing evidence-based psychological services in the primary care setting, with special attention to refugee and immigrant populations.
- Developing and implementing behavioral health programs that improve population health and other clinic quality initiatives.
- Working effectively in an inter-professional team (faculty physicians, resident physicians, clinical pharmacists, care coordinators, legal partners and many others).
- Educating family medicine residents on topics such as patient-centered communication, behavior change counseling, and mental health diagnosis and treatment.
- Participation in a variety of teaching activities as part of the overall behavioral medicine curriculum for family medicine residents (e.g., video review, shadowing residents in clinic and hospital).
- Completing a scholarly activity that advances the field of integrated behavioral health.
Brief History
We offer two fellowship opportunities within the department. One opportunity was established in 2007 and involves a longstanding partnership between two of our family medicine residency programs at Bethesda and Smiley's family medicine clinics.
In 2017, our fellowship expanded with the addition of another training opportunity, which is at M Physicians Broadway Family Medicine Clinic and North Memorial Medical Center.
The fellowship is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
Apply
The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School is actively recruiting two postdoctoral fellows in primary care behavioral health. We offer two fellowship opportunities. One is located at the family medicine clinics M Health Fairview Clinic - Bethesda and M Health Fairview Clinic - Smiley's. The second one is at M Physicians Broadway Family Medicine Clinic and North Memorial Medical Center.
When applicants apply, they will be considered for both of our tracks.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
For external candidates:
Are you an internal candidate (current UMN employee)? Please use this link:
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must have a PhD or PsyD degree in clinical or counseling psychology from an APA/CPA accredited program and completed an internship that meets APA, APPIC, or CAPPIC requirements.
- Preference is given to applicants that have experience in primary care, health psychology, or behavioral medicine, as well as an interest in psychotherapy.
- Must be eligible for Minnesota licensure.
- Fellows need to complete all doctoral program requirements prior to the start of the fellowship.
- Candidates must be authorized to work in the US. The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health is unable to support visas for primary care psychology fellows at this time.
Bethesda/Smiley's Track
The Bethesda/Smiley's partnership originated in 2007, has expanded since its inception, and currently includes two fellows, a junior and senior fellow, at any given time. At Bethesda/Smiley's, the fellow's time is split equally between two clinics, one in St. Paul (Bethesda/Woodwinds Hospital Family Medicine Residency) and one in Minneapolis (Smiley's/UMN Medical Center Family Medicine Residency). The opportunity to provide care within two clinic settings offers unique opportunities to fellows interested in how the integrated care model may be adapted to best fit the unique needs of various populations and communities based on the resources available in those settings.
Our Clinics:

M Health Fairview Clinic - Bethesda is a certified health care home located in the St. Paul neighborhood of Frogtown, just blocks from the state Capitol. The Bethesda team includes family physicians, social workers, psychiatry, care coordinators, nurses, and pharmacists. The clinic has a medical-legal partnership with a local free/low-cost legal service team, which provides patients with help for health-harming legal needs. Bethesda serves a diverse patient community with many populations including Karen, Burmese, Hmong, and Afghan refugees and populations that are historically marginalized. A hallmark of the culture of care at Bethesda is caring for the whole patient within their unique socio-cultural context. For more information on Bethesda and the Woodwinds Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program, see the following links:
Woodwinds Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program
M Health Fairview Clinic - Bethesda

M Health Fairview - Smiley's Clinic is a certified healthcare home and certified behavioral health home located in South Minneapolis. The Smiley's team includes family physicians, psychiatry (both adult and child), social work, pharmacists, nurses, and care coordinators. The Smiley's team cares for a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse patient population including Somali, Ethiopian, and Oromo immigrants. Smiley’s clinic has been a pioneer in developing primary care services and training family medicine physicians to provide appropriate care to gender diverse individuals. Our clinic is well-known in the community as a safe place offering gender-affirming primary care. For more information on the University of Minnesota Medical Center Residency Program/Smiley’s Clinic, see the following links:
University of Minnesota Medical Center Residency Program
M Health Fairview - Smiley's Clinic
Examples of past quality improvement projects and research by Bethesda/Smiley's fellows include:
- Caring contacts: Culturally relevant suicide prevention for the Karen community
- Patient survey of interest in/format of pain management groups
- Naloxone teaching and electronic medical record tools to assist providers
- Quality improvement regarding follow up after psychiatric discharge
- Implementation of a healthy lifestyle program for child well checks
Supervision:
In the Bethesda/Smiley's Track, fellows will have two primary supervisors and receive one hour of individual supervision from each supervisor.
- Director of Behavioral Health/primary supervisor at Bethesda Clinic: Christine Danner, PhD, LP
- Director of Behavioral Health/primary supervisor at the Smiley's Clinic: Dana Brandenburg, PsyD, LP
Broadway Track
The Broadway primary care behavioral health fellowship began in 2017. Unique training opportunities at Broadway include the following:
Advocacy Opportunities: Broadway hosts a monthly mentorship program for youth from underprivileged areas who are interested in careers in healthcare (The Ladder: https://theladdermn.org/).
Our Clinic:

Broadway Family Medicine Clinic is a certified healthcare home that has been an anchor in the North Minneapolis community for more than 40 years (in a brand-new building as of January 2021). The clinic has 24 family medicine residents and 16 faculty members. The Broadway team cares for a culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse population, including approximately 70% Black and 10% Hmong patients. Broadway truly embraces an inter-professional team approach to full-spectrum patient care and resident education, including physician faculty and residents (MDs and DOs), nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, a dietitian, social worker, community health worker, and care coordinators.
For more information on the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program and Broadway clinic, see the following links:
North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program
University of Minnesota Physicians Broadway Family Medicine Clinic
Examples of past quality improvement projects and research by Broadway fellows include:
- A Longitudinal Pilot Study of Changes in How Residents Hope their Patients Experience Them
- Values-Based Behavioral Activation for Chronic Pain in Primary Care: A Pilot Study. Journal article found online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10880-019-09655-x)
Supervision: In the Broadway track, fellows will have one primary supervisor and receive two hours of individual supervision from this supervisor, Director of Behavioral Health/Primary Supervisor at Broadway: Elizabeth Martinez, PhD, LP.
Benefits
Behavioral health fellows are provided with the following benefits:
Learn more by viewing the following:
- Benefits fact sheet for postdoctoral associates
- University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources employee benefits website
Continuing Medical Education Credit
Receive $2,000 of continuing medical education credit per year that can be used for educational expenses such as conferences or courses. These funds roll over from year to year, and any unused funds would be forfeited upon the end of the two-year fellowship.
Contact
For more information regarding payroll, vacation, assistance planning leave, or sick leave:
Angela Kamau
612-624-2622
koon0008@umn.edu
For more information regarding other benefits:
UMN Office of Human Resources
612-624-8647 or 800-756-2363
benefits@umn.edu
Fellows

Senior Fellow
Tera Meerkins, PhD
Graduate school: Boston College, Newton, MA
Internship: Massachusetts Mental Health Center at Harvard Medical School
Medical interests: Liberation health practices, perinatal mental health, substance use disorders, and the physiological impact of trauma.
Personal interests: Yoga, hiking, running, and social justice activism.
Alumni
Sarah Addicks, PhD, LP
Assistant Professor, PsyD Clinical Psychology
Augsburg University
Mary Becker, PhD, LP
Integrated Primary Care Psychologist
Hennepin Healthcare
Marchion Hinton, PhD, LP
Associate Program Director Hennepin Family Medicine Residency
Hennepin Healthcare
Stephanie Hooker, PhD, LP
Research Associate
HealthPartners Institute
Bethany Fiebelkorn Kennedy, PhD, LP
Clinical Health Psychologist
MNGI Digestive Health
Nathaniel Lombardi, PhD, LP
Integrated Behavioral Health Psychologist
Mayo Clinic Health System
Eli Martinez, PhD
Behavioral Health Faculty
M Physicians Broadway Family Medicine Clinic
Ryan Miller, PsyD, LP
Primary Care Health Integration Psychologist
St. Cloud VA Medical Center
Deirdre Paulson, PhD, LP
Director of Behavioral Health
Eau Claire Family Medicine Residency Program
Mayo Clinic Health System
Adam Sattler, PhD, LP
Clinical Psychologist
Psychology Express
Hastings, MN
Kristi White, PhD, LP, ABPP
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Internal Medicine
University of Minnesota
Contact
Mailing Address:
420 Delaware St. SE
MMC 381
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Office Address:
516 Delaware St. SE
5-255 Philips-Wangensteen Bldg
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Director
Dana Brandenburg, PsyD
brand444@umn.edu
612-333-0770
Supervisors
Christine Danner, PhD
danne007@umn.edu
651-227-6551
Elizabeth Martinez, PhD, LP
elimart@umn.edu
612-302-8200
Lisa Zak-Hunter, PhD
zakx0031@umn.edu
651-772-3461
Coordinator
Mina Park
parkx812@umn.edu
612-625-2676
Due Process
Due Process and Grievance Procedures
Fellows are informed at the beginning of their fellowship about due process and grievance procedures. They are given printed copies as well as digital access related to all of their training activities.