Skip to Main Content
Brown University
The Warren Alpert Medical School

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Secondary Navigation Navigation

  • Give Now
Search Menu

Site Navigation

  • Home
  • About
    • Leadership
    • Administrative Staff
    • Affiliated Hospitals
    • Life in Providence
  • Research
    • Research Centers
    • Research Core Facilities and Resources
    • Research Affiliates
  • Education
    • Residency Programs
    • Fellowship Programs
    • Clinical Psychology Training Programs
    • Research Training
  • Clinical Programs
  • Faculty
    • Faculty Affairs
    • Find a Faculty Researcher
    • Find a Clinical Faculty Member
  • Diversity
    • Diversity in Action
    • Anti-Racism Steering Committee
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee
    • Resources for Faculty
    • Resources for Trainees
    • LGBTQ+ Resources
    • Diversity in Rhode Island
  • News & Events
Search
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Women’s Mental Health Fellowship

Focused clinical training in women’s mental health with an emphasis on perinatal psychiatry.

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Education
  • Fellowship Programs

Women’s Mental Health Fellowship

Focused clinical training in women’s mental health with an emphasis on perinatal psychiatry.

The Women’s Mental Health fellowship at Women & Infants Hospital, a Brown University teaching affiliate and a leading specialty hospital for women and newborns, is designed to offer focused clinical training in women’s mental health with a particular emphasis on perinatal psychiatry.

Fellows will receive in-depth exposure to and training in pharmacotherapy for pregnant and breastfeeding women, interpersonal psychotherapy, perinatal loss, substance abuse in perinatal women, socio-cultural influences on perinatal psychiatric illness, trauma-based disorders, and the impact of maternal mental illness on the developing fetus and infant, and perimenopausal and premenstrual mood disorders. Fellows will spend clinical time in the nation's first mother-baby psychiatric partial hospital program for women with perinatal psychiatric disorders. They will also have exposure to consultation/liaison in a women’s hospital, as well as experience in providing outpatient consultation to women’s health clinics. Fellows will gain experience treating pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders, and and will spend time in an intensive outpatient program for treatment of postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder

Fellows will have the option to conduct a more focused study in any of the core areas of training, as well as add elective opportunities to supplement their training. Fellows will also have protected time to facilitate the pursuit of a scholarly project in women's mental health under the supervision of a research mentor.

Our faculty are excited to be able to offer comprehensive women’s mental health training for psychiatrists with an emphasis on reproductive psychiatry. We hope that you will browse through our information and in doing so, see and share our passion for women’s mental health and reproductive psychiatry!

Jessica Pineda, MD – Program Director
Women’s Mental Health Fellowship

Faculty

Leadership

  • Jessica Pineda, MD

    Jessica Pineda, MD

    Fellowship Program Director & Medical Director, Women's Behavioral Health; Attending Psychiatrist, Women & Infants Hospital; Attending Primary Care Physician, Women & Infants Hospital; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (Clinical) and Clinical Instructor in Family Medicine
    Research Profile

Faculty

  • Maggie Allen, PhD

    Maggie Allen, PhD

    Staff Psychologist, Day Hospital and OCD Intensive Outpatient Program, Center for Women’s Behavioral Health, Women & Infants Hospital; Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
  • Cynthia Battle, PhD

    Cynthia Battle, PhD

    Research, Clinical Psychologist, Center for Women's Behavioral Health, Women & Infants Hospital; Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
  • Zobeida Diaz, MD

    Zobeida Diaz, MD

    Division Director, Women & Infants Hospital; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
  • Katheleen Hawes, PhD

    Kathleen Hawes, PhD

    Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
  • Cynthia Loncar, PhD

    Cynthia Loncar, PhD

    Director of Clinical Services, Center for Children and Families, Women & Infants Hospital; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and of Pediatrics (Research)
  • Karina Sanders, MD

    Karina Sanders, MD

    Staff Psychiatrist, Women's Behavioral Health, Women & Infants Hospital; Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Human Behavior
  • Virtue Sankoh, PhD

    Virtue Sankoh, PhD

    Clinical Director of the Day Hospital, Center for Women's Behavioral Health, Women & Infants Hospital; Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
  • Jean Twomey, PhD

    Jean Twomey, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and of Pediatrics (Research)
  • Kristin Wedel, LCSW

    Kristin Wedel, LCSW

    Director of OCD IOP, Clinical Social Worker, Women & Infants Hospital

Curriculum

 
Rotations
WIH Postpartum Depression Day Hospital
WIH Inpatient Consultation/Liaison Service
OCD Intensive Outpatient Program
 
Longitudinal Outpatient Experience
Women's Behavioral Health Outpatient Medication Management
Compass+ Collaborative Care

Fellows will choose longitudinal electives to match their clinical interests, which will be integrated into their schedule throughout the year.

  • The Postpartum Depression Day Hospital, the nation’s first mother-baby perinatal psychiatric partial hospital devoted exclusively to treating pregnant and newly postpartum women. It is located at Women & Infants Hospital. The program is designed to keep mothers and their infants together during treatment to foster bonding and attachment, avoid separation of mother and baby, support breastfeeding mothers and directly assess and design interventions focused on the day when impacted by maternal mental illness. This rotation will introduce the fellow to the recognition and treatment of perinatal psychiatric disorders. The fellow will function as a member of our multi-disciplinary treatment team and be expected to participate in daily clinical rounds, conduct first-day admission evaluations and make pharmacological recommendations, co-lead psychotherapy groups, conduct family sessions, conduct short-term individual psychotherapy, provide ongoing medication management and participate in discharge planning. The fellow will receive training in various therapeutic modalities and become familiar with psychopharmacology in pregnant and breastfeeding women.
  • Perinatal substance abuse experience is comprised of training in substance use assessment and treatment in outpatient and inpatient settings. Outpatient settings include the Center for Women’s Behavioral Health, where a significant percentage of pregnant as well as post-partum women present with dual diagnosis. Substance use treatment focuses on early recovery, relapse prevention, parenting skills, smoking cessation, domestic violence, and self-care. The fellow will gain expertise in the pharmacologic management of substance use disorders and dual diagnosis issues in this population. Evidence-based therapeutic approaches in addiction treatment, such motivational interviewing, DBT for substance use and attachment based work will also be discussed. On our Consultation-Liaison Service, the fellow will gain expertise in the treatment of withdrawal from different substances (Opioids, Benzodiazepines and Alcohol). The fellow will gain a broader understanding of opioid dependence and its effects on the baby, by working with the Pediatrics team treating Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. As a result of this comprehensive experience, the fellow will be comfortable providing care for pregnant or postpartum women with substance abuse disorders and comorbid psychiatric issues.
  • Psychiatry Consultation–Liaison Service provides the fellow the opportunity to develop expertise in providing inpatient psychiatric consultation in an OB-GYN hospital setting with multiple clinical services, including postpartum, high-risk obstetrics, gynecologic oncology, gynecology, a 24-hour Obstetric Emergency Department, and an 80-bed NICU. Fellows will provide consultation to both academic and private clinical teams. The consultation team works closely with the hospital clinical social work department to identify patients in need of psychiatric intervention. Additionally, the fellow will gain experience in clinical bedside teaching and supervision with rotating PGY-2 general psychiatry residents and MS-4 medical students on this service.
  • Women’s Partial Hospital Program is a day-hospital program at Butler Hospital that treats women who are chronically suicidal and who meet the criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder. The Women’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program combines individual therapy and group skills training to address the behavioral, emotional and cognitive patterns that underlie their problems in living. The fellow will work closely with the clinical staff at this program to learn about the care and stabilization of this patient population.
  • Women’s Behavioral Health longitudinal outpatient experience will provide the fellow with a longitudinal experience in the outpatient psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic care of pregnant and postpartum women. Additionally, the fellow will gain expertise in pre-conception counseling for women planning a pregnancy. They will also be trained and practice various forms of psychotherapy in this population, including interpersonal therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy with a focus on attachment issues.

Fellows will participate in focused scholarly activity throughout the duration of the 12-month fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Cynthia Battle or another women’s mental health expert who serves as a member of the program’s faculty. The specific nature of the scholarly activity will vary depending on the individual fellow’s interests, research background, and future career goals. The two primary goals of this component of the fellowship are: 

  1. to promote the fellow’s skills as a critical consumer of the medical and scientific literature relevant to women’s mental health and perinatal psychiatry, and
  2. to develop an area of focused expertise on a specific topic related to women’s mental health.

In the initial phase of the fellowship year, the fellow will meet with the research director of the fellowship to develop an individualized plan for their scholarly component, and to identify a primary scholarly advisor. Throughout the course of the year-long training experience, the fellow will have protected time to devote to their scholarly goals (approximately 3-4 hours/ week), including regular supervision from their research advisor. Ultimately, the scholarly activity component of the fellowship is expected to culminate in either an external scholarly presentation (i.e., an abstract presented at a scientific conference, grand rounds presentation) or in an original manuscript to be submitted for publication. Through these scholarly activities, the fellow will hone their skills in evaluating the quality of published research, gain practice in reviewing and coherently synthesizing research, and will produce a final product that demonstrates their expertise in an area of study directly relevant to women’s mental health.

Didactics

Didactic lecture series will be offered to the fellow on a regular basis, on a variety of topics that are relevant to the clinical practice of women's mental health. Some of the regular topics include:

  • Psychopharmacology in the pregnancy and lactation
  • Perinatal depression
  • Perinatal anxiety disorders
  • Perinatal-onset OCD
  • Bipolar disorder in pregnancy
  • Postpartum psychosis
  • Trauma-related disorders
  • Attachment theory and disorders of attachment
  • Oncology and Psychiatry
  • Infertility
  • Treatment decision making and informed consent
  • Grief/perinatal loss
  • Menopause
  • Perinatal substance use disorders
  • Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
  • ADHD in pregnancy

In addition, the fellow will participate in a variety of scheduled conferences and grand rounds for ongoing education and collaboration, including:

  • Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Grand Rounds (Butler Hospital)
  • Women’s Behavioral Health Case Conference
  • Specialty Care in Pregnancy Conference
  • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Grand Rounds
  • Integrated Grand Rounds for High-Risk Pregnancy
  • NICU Psychosocial Rounds
  • Schwartz Rounds
  • NCRP didactic series

The Fellow may also be asked to lecture in a variety of formats, including case conferences, grand rounds, resident teaching sessions, and resident and medical student supervision. In addition to didactic and conference educational opportunities, the fellow will receive both individual and peer supervision on a regular basis related to the clinical care of patients.

Training Site

Fellows will have the experience of being a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team at Women & Infants Hospital (WIH), the primary teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine and women’s behavioral health. WIH is the seventh largest obstetrical service in the country with more than 8,500 deliveries per year.  The fellowship is housed in the Department of Medicine, Division of Women’s Behavioral Health at Women & Infants Hospital.

Fellows will be part of the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, a nationally renowned academic department and training program in Providence, Rhode Island.

Apply

Program Requirements and Application

To be eligible for application to the fellowship, the candidate must:

  • complete a residency or plan to complete a residency in general adult psychiatry prior to the anticipated start date of the fellowship program
  • be board-certified or board-eligible with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in adult psychiatry
  • hold or be eligible for an unrestricted RI medical license

Candidates wishing to apply for the fellowship should send the following documents to Lauren Delvecchio via email or fax (401) 453-7658:

  • letter of interest (not to exceed one page)
  • curriculum vitae
  • three (3) letters of recommendation, including one from their Program Director
  • application (download from link)

If you wish to learn more about the fellowship program or have specific questions, please contact Dr. Pineda via email.

We are accepting applications starting May 1, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submission is encouraged.

Application

Brown University
Providence RI 02912 401-863-1000

Quick Navigation

  • Division of Biology and Medicine
  • Program in Biology
  • Affiliated Hospitals

Footer Navigation

  • Events
  • Maps and Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Accessibility
Give To Brown

© Brown University

The Warren Alpert Medical School
For You
Search Menu

Mobile Site Navigation

    Mobile Site Navigation

    • Home
    • About
      • Leadership
      • Administrative Staff
      • Affiliated Hospitals
      • Life in Providence
    • Research
      • Research Centers
      • Research Core Facilities and Resources
      • Research Affiliates
    • Education
      • Residency Programs
      • Fellowship Programs
      • Clinical Psychology Training Programs
      • Research Training
    • Clinical Programs
    • Faculty
      • Faculty Affairs
      • Find a Faculty Researcher
      • Find a Clinical Faculty Member
    • Diversity
      • Diversity in Action
      • Anti-Racism Steering Committee
      • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee
      • Resources for Faculty
      • Resources for Trainees
      • LGBTQ+ Resources
      • Diversity in Rhode Island
    • News & Events

Mobile Secondary Navigation Navigation

  • Give Now
All of Brown.edu People
Advanced Search
Close Search

Women’s Mental Health Fellowship