Psychology Internship News & Updates

A growing list detailing the professional activities of the members and alumni of the CHS Psycholgy Internship.

5/19/2023: Citrin & Curtin present at 2023 Conemaugh Research Symposium
5/4/2023: Kutz completes fellowship for behavioral health teaching
4/26/2023: Curtin accepts fellowship with HearthFire Psychology
4/24/2023: Kelley creates Neuropsychology Group
4/22/2023: Kutz presents at Pa Academy of Family Physicians
2/27/2023: Citrin accepts fellowship with Atrius Health in Mass.
2/4/2023: Kutz passes oral exam, earns board certification
2/1/2023: Kelley attends the International Neuropsychological Society 51st annual meeting in CA
11/10/2022 Kutz and Grace present at the CHS Fall Trauma Conference
10/21/2022 Curtin presents as part of national webinar for diabetes prevention
10/01/2022 Kutz co-authors article with Family Medicine physician in PA Psychologist
10/1/2022 Kutz co-authors article with CHS Psychology alumnus Healey and grad student
9/16/2022 Kutz presents at Family Medicine Education Consortium
9/6/2022 Kutz attends Forum for Behavioral Science in Family Medicine as part of BFEF
7/1/2022 CHS Psychology welcomes new interns Citrin & Curtin
6/19/2022 Kutz presents on integrated care at PAFP education conference
5/20/2022 Kutz presents on team dynamics at KTENS trauma conference
5/18/2022 Kutz presents Teaching Integrated Care to Psychology and Physician Learners at PPA
5/1/2022 Grabiner accepts fellowship with Ascension Genesys Hospital
4/30/2022 Kutz named Behavioral Science / Family Systems Educator Fellow

5/19/2023: Citrin and Curtin Present at 2023 CHS Research Symposium

CHS Psychology Interns Dermot Curtin, MSc, LPC and Leora Citrin, MA gave independent oral presentations at the 2023 Regional Research Symposium. Dermot and Leora were two among eight oral presentations delivered during the symposium. The symposium also highlighted ten poster presentations of original research, 32 poster presentations of unique case reports, and an original research manuscript. Over 80 members of the CHS Graduate Medical Education community attended the regional symposium in addition to attendees/presentors from St. Francis University and Lake Erie College of Ostepathic Medicine.

Curtin presented his dissertation research, Psych-education with Dementia Caregivers on a Remote Web-based Platform. This was a pre-post test study with over 100 participants that analyzed the efficacy of a web-based platform for providing psychoeducation.

Citrin presented a follow-up to her dissertation research, Recognition of Depression Symptoms and Openness to Treatment among Men: A Vignette-Based Study. Citrin's study included over 100 participants and targeted the differences in presentation and treatment seeking for depression among men and women.

Judges for the symposium included Nicholas Lanciano, DO, neurologist for CHS; Elizabeth Dunmore, MD, CHS CMO, Bonnie Mazurak-Riga, DNP, MBA, RN, Director Emeritus for the Conemaugh School of Nursing, and Amanda Vaglia, DO, program director for the IRMC family medicine residency.

5/4/2023: Kutz completes fellowship for behavioral health teaching

CHS Psychology program director Richard Kutz, Psy.D., ABPP presented at the 2023 Society of Teachers of Medicine (STFM) annual conference in Tampa, FL. This presentation and the conference attendance marked the conclusion of the Behavioral Health Family Systems Educatior Fellowship (BFEF). Kutz was one of 14 fellows to graduate from this 13th class of the BFEF Fellowship.

"This fellowship has done so much to teach me about teaching behavioral health and connect me with a group of professionals engaged in a similar goal," Kutz said. "There aren't many psychologists engaged in behavioral health, and even fewer engaged in teaching among medical professionals. This fellowship makes the island seem a lot smaller."

Kutz presented a poster of his research that hypothesized the teaching requirements of the family medicine curriculum would coincide with different teaching modalities based on Bloom's Taxonomy. "Unfortunately, my n wasn't large enough for the statistical analysis as intended, but I have some ideas for a follow-up study," Kutz said.

BFEF is a competitive, yearlong fellowship is for family medicine faculty who have responsibility for coordinating or teaching the behavioral science/family systems curriculum. Applicants are selected throughout the United States and Canada.

4/26/2023: Curtin accepts fellowship with HearthFire Psychology

CHS Psychology Intern Dermot Curtin, MSc, LPC, has accepted a post-doctoral position with HearthFire Psychology in Wyomissing, Pa. HearthFire is a growing practice outside of Reading, Pa., that is seeking to expand treatment options with local physicians and improve health psychology access to members of the rural areas. Dermot will be providing assessment and intervention services along with consultations as requested by area health providers.

Curtin will graduate from his current position as psychology intern in the CHS Psychology Internship Program on June 30, 2023. Completion of internship along with the simultaneous completion of the dissertation project will culminate his doctoral work. Dermot is expected to graduate from Carlow University in August 2023 with his Doctor of Psychology degree in Counseling Psychology. The post-doctoral position with HearthFire will increase Dermot's training as he prepares for licensure in Pennsylvania.

4/24/2023: Kelley creates neuropsychology group

Dr. Katherine Kelley, Psy.D., clinical neuropsychologist and faculty member in the CHS Psychology Internship today hosted the first neuropsychology Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. Kelley worked with PPA to create the group approximately one month ago, and the group already has over thirty members.

"As an early career psychologist, I sought the professional connections and support of colleagues. Neuropsychology is a unique field because there aren't very many of us, we are often not physically close to one another, and our reasons for gathering--like CE's--often take us quite far away. Neuro can be quite isolating!," Kelley explained. While PPA is the state-wide institution for psychologists and neuropsychologists, many neuropsychologists feel disconnected from the group. "PPA often has resources I need for my [psychology] license, but they don't often have neuro-specific options. So, I gravitate away from PPA," Kelly said. "When a colleague suggested creating a SIG, I thought maybe it's a way to provide a resource not just for us practicioners, but also to make PPA more robust."

The Neuropsychology SIG through PPA includes members throughout the state of Pennsylvania. It's members practice privately, in hospital settings, in residential settings, and in academia. Membership includes a self-disclosed "late career neuropsychologist" as well as students. Meetings are currently set for the last Monday of the month at noon and can be accessed as a member of PPA.

4/22/2023: Kutz presents at Pa Academy of Family Physicians

CHS Psychology program director Richard Kutz, Psy.D., ABPP, joined colleagues in a group presentation to the 2023 Family Medicine Essentials Summit ABM and Resaerch Day at Camelback Resort in Tannersville, PA this past Saturday. Kutz was joined by fellow members of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's Integrated Care Committee: Anya DeRosa, Psy.D., Tanya Vishnevsky, Ph.D., Aviva Gaskill, Psy.D., and Kelly McClure, Ph.D. The group presented in collaboration with PAFP member Jeffrey Zlotnick, MD, FAAFP.

The presentation was part of an ongoing collaboration between PPA and PAFP that has seen co-authorship and co-presentations. This presentation was the first in an ongoing series dubbed the "behavioral health track" of the PAFP continuing medical education curriculum. With a focus on anxiety disorders, the group presented on differential diagnoses, risk assessment, and treatment options.

"This was such an amazing, surprise, whirlwind experience," Kutz stated. "I knew that Jeanne [Spencer, MD] was being initiated as PAFP President, and I knew that Dan [Bauza, MD, PGY2] had his poster accepted here--but I didn't know I'd get to see them and also be introduced by Symya [Hoque, MD, PGY3]!" Jeanne Spencer, MD, was voted entering president for PAFP and is the director for the CHS Family Medicine Residency where Kutz serves as behavioral science faculty member. Symya Hoque and Dan Bouza are two residents with the CHS FM residency.

"The collaboration we are building is at the heart of integrated care. Psychology and family medicine working together--hopefully we can finally eliminate that 'carve-out' of mental health and just focus on health." Kutz added.

Leora Citrin, MA
'23 CHS Psychology Intern

2/27/2023: Citrin accepts fellowship with Atrius Health in Mass

CHS Psychology intern Leora Citrin, MA, has accepted a post-doctoral fellowship with Atrius Health in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The site is a non-profit, multi-specialty medical group practice that provides health care to almost 740,000 adult and pediatric patients at more than 20 offices in eastern Massachusetts. In addition to behavioral health services, Leora's particular area of focus will be in the program's trauma track.

Citrin will graduate from her current position as intern at the CHS Psychology Internship on June 30, 2023. This will culminate her doctoral work, and she is expected to graduate with her doctor of psychology degree from William James College later this summer. The post-doctoral fellowship is a one-year position and will be the final step before applying for licensure.

2/4/2023: Kutz passes oral exam, earns board certification

On Friday, February 3, 2023, Richard Kutz flew out of Johnstown's John P Murtha Airport and said it was the first time he was ever nervous on a plane. "I was definitely more nervous taking the EPPP, [Examination for the Practice of Professional Psychology], but I drove to that exam," he explained. "But this was just as nerve-wracking," he said. Kutz was flying to San Antonio, TX, where he took the oral examination to obtain board certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology, ABPP.

ABPP offers board certification through 17 specialty boards and one sub-specialty board. Kutz applied to the American Board of Clinical Health Psychology, and submitted his written materials in June of 2022. These materials were approved in November of 2022. The oral exam is several hours and assesses the professional and foundational competencies consistent with clinical health psychology. According to the ABPP website, the current percentage of qualified psychologists who are board certified is approximately 4%.

"We want to eliminate the 'carve-out' mentality and promote mental health as an integral part of overall wellness. Demonstrating competence in our specialization consistent with the competence of our medical colleagues establishes an equal footing," Kutz says. "At Conemaugh, our goal is to provide the best care possible for our community, to grow our internship with the best training and leadership possible. This brings us one step closer."

Richard Kutz, Psy.D., ABPP works in the Conemaugh Health System as the behavioral science faculty for the Family Medicine Residency and serves as the Program Director for the CHS Psycholgy Internship.

2/1/2023: Kelley attends the International Neuropsychological Society 51st annual meeting in CA

The International Neuropsychological Society (INS) hosted it's 51st annual meeting Feburary 1-4 in San Diego, CA. Titled "Seredipity and Science," is one of two annual meetings held by INS, and the only one in North America. INS supports a membership of over 4,700 professionals throughout the world engaged in the interdisciplinary study of brain-behavioral relationships throughout the lifespan. The Society’s emphasis is on science, education, and the applications of scientific knowledge.

Discussing the conference, Dr. Kelley responded with the following: "While there were many wonderful presentations on current research in the field on a variety of topics, I especially enjoyed a presentation entitled 'Learning from Patients: People who have Changed my Way of Thinking' by renowned rehabilitation neuropsychologist, Dr. Barbara Wilson, who talked about her 40 years of clinical work and patients that have helped to mold her career. There was also a focus during the conference on moving toward globalization and technological advancement in the field of neuropsychology, with interesting research presented on the effects of bilingualism in dementia/stroke and virtual reality assessment in rehabilitation settings and many other fascinating topics."

Katherine Kelley, Psy.D., is a clinical neuropsychologyst in the Conemaugh Health System and faculty member with the CHS Psychology Internship.

11/10/2022 Kutz and Grace present at the CHS Fall Trauma Conference

Conemaugh Health System hosted it's Fall Trauma Conference, "Chain of Survival," on Thursday, November 10, 2022. Dr. Kutz teamed with fourth-year practicum student Elliot Grace, MA to co-present on secondary traumatic exposure. "The DSM-5 made a significant inclusion of traumatic exposure with the identification of repeated exposures of adversive details such as often happens with first responders," Kutz said. "This is a great opportunity not only to promote psychology among the larger healthcare system, but also a great opportunity to help our trauma teams with self-care."

Kutz and Grace co-presented "The Reality of Secondary Trauma Exposure Among EMS" to around 135 surgeons, nurses, and first-responders. For his part, Grace provided information regarding Critical Incident Stress Management. "I had been an EMT before grad school and had training and experience with CISM," Grade explained. "People often think 'talking about it' involves being 'overly emotional' and it's important to educate the actual steps for CISM."

Elliot Grace is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He served as a practicum student at CHS from May through December, 2022. In July 2023 he will begin his internship with the VA in Boston, Mass.

10/21/2022 Curtin presents as part of national webinar for diabetes prevention

The Conemaugh Diabetes Institute has a long history of excellence. The institute is recognized by the American Diabetes Association as exceeding the National Standards for Diabetes Self Management Education. That recognition continued as the institute was highlighted in a national, live webinar, Fall Into Healthy Habits. Sponsored by the PA Department of Health, the webinar highlighted the National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Dermot Curtin, MSc, LPC, current psychology intern on rotation at the CDI was among the presentors. Curtin discussed the psychological impact of diabetes in addition to discussing the challenges of behavioral change. Curtin offered some techniques as well as support and encouragement for persons considering the NDPP. Dermot is one of two interns in the CHS Psychology Internship and has an anticipated graduation date of June 30, 2023.

Additional presentors also included Jessica Milazzo, MSN, RN, CDES who is a DPP Lifestyle Coach at the institute; Valerie Williams, BS, TTS, a health education for the Northeast PA Area Health Education Center; and Alan Johnson, a DCI patient discussing his experience with the NDPP.

10/01/2022 Kutz co-authors article with family medicine physician in PA Psychologist

The October 2022, the Pennsylvania Psychological Association dedicated the entire issue of The Pennsylvania Psychologist to highlight integrated care. Eight different articles were published by psychologists around Pennsylvania, including work written by members of Conemaugh Health System. Exemplifying the collaborative nature of integrated care, Dr. Kutz partnered with B.J. Leech, D.O. to write "Telehealth in Integrated Primary Care Settings." The article provided an overview of empirical support for integrated care and telehealth modalities before sharing how the combination of the two provides a benefit to the primary care setting. Leech noted increased benefit among patients in rural areas in addition to the increased patient outcome through integrated care.

Kutz and Leech both serve as faculty for the Family Medicine Residency at Conemaugh Health System where Kutz is the behavioral science faculty member. They are also both Conemaugh alumni. "I'm not sure if he remembers," Kutz says, "but one of my first days as a student at Conemaugh included participation with the rounding team that was lead by Dr. Leech when he was still a resident!" Leech has also participated in the interviews and didactice training for the CHS Psychology Internship.

10/1/2022 Kutz co-authors article with CHS Psychology alumnus Healey and grad student

Sean Healey, Psy.D. Class of '13

When the Pennsylvania Psychological Association dedicated the October 2022 issue of The Pensylvania Psychologist to the issue of integrated care, the PPA Integrated Care Committee responded with enthusiasm. Every article in the issue was authored/co-authored by members of the PPA Integrated Care Committee, including the introduction "Integrated Care, Professional Psychology and Value: An Introduction for Psychologists." The piece was mostly authored by Sean Healey, Psy.D. with contributions by Richard Kutz, Psy.D., and Tyshawn Thompson, MA, a graduate student member of the Integrated Care Committee.

"I really wanted to advocate for the value that professional psychology brings to healthcare through integrated care," Healey said. The article provides an overview of the concept of integrated care while emphasizing benefit to all parties involved, patient, provider, and payor. Healy also serves as chairperson for the PPA Insurance Committee whose goal is to advise the membership on all federal and state third party reimbursement issues affecting the delivery of psychological services. "This article was a unique opportunity for the chairs of two committees--Insurance and Integrated Care--to collaborate and highlight overlapping goals and benefits," Healey explained.

"It was a unique personal circle for me," Kutz noted. "Sean was an intern at Conemaugh when I was a practicum student. I looked up to him as a mentor. Years later, after I joined PPA, it was Sean who introduced me to the Integrated Care Committee. Now, to be able to co-author a piece with him and collaborate is meaningful to me professionally and personally," he said. "And, Tyshawn has such great energy. I hope working with him as he finished graduate school, in some ways it's a similar encouraging mentorship for him like I experienced with Sean."

Sean Healey, Psy.D. completed his internship at Conemaugh Health System in 2013. He currently works with Allegheny Mental Health Associates, serves as the chairperson for the PPA Insurance Committee and as a member of the PPA Integrated Care Committee. Richard Kutz, Psy.D., ABPP, completed his internship with Conemaugh Health System in 2014. He currently works at Conemaugh Health System and serves as the chairperson for the PPA Integrated Care Committee. Tyshawn Thompson, MA, is an intern at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in CA. He is a member of the PPA Integrated Care Committee and a member & past chairperson of the PPA Graduate Student Board.

9/16/2022 Kutz presents at Family Medicine Education Consortium

Dr. Kutz travelled with Family Medicine Residency colleagues Jeanne Spencer, MD, Jason Burmeister, MD, and Symya Hoque, MD to Arlington, VA where they attended the 2022 annual meeting for the Family Medicine Education Consortium (FMEC). FMEC identifies itself as a "catalyst, convener, and incubator" with the goal of improving overall health through strenghthening family medicine, primary care, and medical education. At this year's consortium, over 500 attendees participated in 52 sessions, 94 posters, and a range of additional workshops, seminars, research papers, and more. Among these was a co-presentation by Drs. Kutz and Burmeister.

"Integrating Behavioral Health into Whole Person Care" focused on using the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model of integrated care within a primary care clinic at a family medicine residency. Their presentation detailed strengths and weaknesses of different integrated care models, the various applications for behavioral health, and a practical application of referral questions utilizing an integrated care behavioral health professional.

Speaking about the collaboration, Kutz said: "Jason is an excellent physician to collaborate with because of his background in psychology. He presented the applied part of the presentation with the perspective of a physician that connected well with our audience while supporting the underlying psychological principles."

Jeanne Spencer, MD, is the program director for the CHS Family Medicine Residency and the Family Medical Center primary care clinic. She was instrumental in founding the CHS Psychology Internship and has served as an adjunct faculty for that program. Jason Burmeister, MD, obtained his undergraduate training in psychology before attending medical school. He is a full-time faculty member in the CHS Family Medicine Residency. Symaya Hoque, MD, is a third-year resident in the CHS Family Medicine Residency. In addition, she is a state-wide officer in the Resident Assembly for the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians. Richard Kutz, Psy.D. is the behavioral science faculty for the CHS Family Medicine Residency and the Program Director for the CHS Psychology Internship.

9/6/2022 Kutz attends Forum for Behavioral Science in Family Medicine as part of BFEF

Dr. Kutz travelled to Chicago, IL to attend the 43rd Annual Forum for Behavioral Science in Family Medicine and continue the educational development as a Behavioral Science / Family Systems Educator Fellow. The Forum was held September 6-10 with a focus on behavioral medicine's role in national healing. Specifically, this 43rd annual Forum addressed the effects of the pandemic and related policies on both individual and community health, telehealth, burnout, and social connections.

The Forum for Behavioral Science is an annual meeting of behavioral scientists and family physicians dedicated to education, research, professional identity, and wellbeing of clinicians and educators in Family Medicine. Core content areas for the Forum include physician-patient relationships, health behavior change, family systems, primary care management of psychiatric disorders, ethics, resident and physician well-being, diversity, leadership, and educational strategies.

"In 2015, my mentor Dr. Ray Hornyak, took me to the 36th annual Forum for Behavioral Science. It was a significant moment, in the way that you connect with other members unique an area of sub-specialty. That experience planted the seed to continue a connection with this educational experience," Kutz says of the Forum. "This year, attending the Forum as a fellow and participating through the guided lens of the fellowship resulted in an intense learning experience. I've had ideas for a curriculum update to the behavioral health curriculum [in the FM Residency], but now I've attended presentations on those and other ideas and have concrete action steps to move forward. Specifically, I want to explore a more longitudinal curriculum, increase the 'hands-on' learning, and increase the interaction with the psychology internship."

Kutz is a 2012 BFEF Fellow. The fellowship is a competitive, year long experience open to application by family medicine faculty who have responsibility for coordinating or teaching the behavioral science/family systems curriculum. The BFEF fellowship is coordinated through the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM).

7/1/2022 CHS Psychology welcomes new interns Citrin & Curtin

The Conemaugh Health System Psychology Internship welcomed the Class of '23: Leora Citrin, MA, and Dermot Curtin,

MSc, LPC. Leora and Dermot represent the tenth class of psychology interns at Conemaugh.

Leora Citrin spent most of her life in New York where she worked in the medical field before returning to William James College in Massachusetts to earn her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and study for her doctoral degree in clinical psychology. In addition, Leora is certified in advanced hypnosis, introductory biofeedback, and in the administration of the ADOS-2. Her dissertation is Masculinity and Help Seeking for Depression:Cultural Contributions and Strategies for Facilitating Help Seeking.

Dermot Curtin grew up in Pennsylvania before moving to Delaware with his family. Dermot has a rich educational background that includes a Masters of Science in Counseling and Clinical Psychology, coursework at the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis, and his current coursework for the doctoral degree in clnical psychology at Chatham University. Dermot's dissertation is The Effectiveness of Psycho-education in Dementia Caregivers.

Dr. Ryan Dunne, Chief Psychologist for the CHS Psychology Internship expressed his excitement with the new class. "They both come with unique backgrounds in health psychology, I think they are going to be an excellent fit for our program." The CHS Psychology Internship focuses on training clnical psychologists in a general health psychology setting with strong preparation for a post-doctoral fellowship in a sub-specialty area.

6/19/2022 Kutz presents on integrated care at PAFP education conference

The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) hosted "Summer Adventures CME Conference" and partnered with the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's (PPA) Integrated Care Committee to provide CME on behavioral health.

Drs. Richard Kutz and Tanya Vishnevsky, both PPA and Integrated Care Committee members, delivered an hour-long CME detailing integrated care. Vishnevsky described details between the Collaborative Care Management (CoCM) and Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) models as well as the empirical support for each. Kutz described the use of the PCBH model within the Conemaugh Health System and noted the benefits to patient populations. Both presentors concluded with empirically supported psychological techniques applicable for physician use in treatment of mental health.

Richard Kutz, Psy.D. is the chairperson of the PPA Integrated Care Committee. A licensed clinical health psychologist, Kutz serves as the behavioral science faculty member for Conemaugh Health System Family Medicine Residency, and as the Program Director for the Conemaugh Health System Psychology Internship.

5/20/2022 Kutz presents on team dynamics at KTENS trauma conference

The Keystone Trauma Emergency Neurology Summit was hosted at Seven Springs Resort on May 19th and 20th. Surgeons, physicians, neurologists, nurses, and EMT staff attended for continuing education on this year's topic of "Reflections on Healthcare." Some topics include pain management, managing the trauma patient, stroke and emergency management.

Dr. Kutz presented on how pandemic-driven social changes have had an impact on the team-driven care of trauma management. Specifically, recognizing the collaborative care that comprises first response through transitional handoff, surgery team, rehabiitation recovery and pieces of the process adjunct to patient interaction such as treatment team planning and critical incident stress management, Kutz discuss emerging evidence relative to the social distancing impact throughout the pandemic.

"What we are seeing in trauma management is consistent with other areas--communicaiton is evolving," Kutz said. "The ongoing challenge is to maintain the communication purposes that we recognize are needed while engaging them through new and different methods."

5/18/2022 Kutz presents Teaching Integrated Care to Psychology and Physician Learners at PPA

Dr. Richard Kutz was among members of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's Integrated Care Committee to present at the PPA Annual Convention. Kutz was joined by Tanya Vishnevsky, Ph.D., and Julie Radico, Psy.D., ABPP for their presentation "Teaching Integrated Care to Psychology and Physician Learners."

Radico detailed the differences between educational paths and content for psychologists relative to the educational path and content for physicians, specifically primary care physicians. Vishnevsky identified the specifics of empirically supported integrated care models and Kutz provided examples for use in patient situations with supporting examples from the Conemaugh Health System. The 3-hour, continuing education workship was attended by psychologist from around the state of Pennsylvania.

Tanya Vishenvsky, Ph.D., is the owner of Natick Counseling in Buck's County, PA. A licensed clinical health psychologist, Dr. V. has fellowship training and clinical experience in a range of health settings. She is also certified at Level II training through the Gottman Institute, and a member of the PPA Integrated Care Committee. Dr. V. is also the chairperson for the PPA Legislative and Goverment Affairs Committee.

Julie Radico, Psy.D., ABPP is a board certified clinical health psychologist working as a Behavioral Health Faculty in the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Department of Family and Community Medicine (FCM) Residency Program. Dr. Radico is a member and past-chair of the PPA Integrated Care Committee. She serves on additional committeess within PPA and is active in leadership positions for the American Psychological Association, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Clinical Health Psychology Board.

5/1/2022 Grabiner accepts fellowship with Ascension Genesys Hospital

Yarone Grabiner, MS., MA
2022 CHS Psychology Intern

Conemaugh Health System Psychology Intern Yarone Grabiner, MS, MA, has accepted a fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology with the APA accredited post-doctoral fellowship through Ascension Genesys Hospital! Grabiner will begin the year-long fellowship in September and will serve throughout the year in four primary rotations: Hospital based consultation-liaison service, Family Medicine outpatient clinic, and Internal Medicine / OB outpatient clinic.

As a psychology intern at Conemaugh, Grabiner has developed experience in hospital based consultation and family medicine outpatient service. CHS Psychology Interns complete a 6-month rotation with the Crichton Rehabilitation Center working with inpatient consultations as well as medical consulations throught the CHS Memorial Medical Center. In addition, 50% of the CHS Psychology Internship emphasizes integrated primary care psychology with the primary care outpatient clinic.

Lucetry Dalton, Psy.D.
2017 CHS Psychology Intern

Grabiner shares a unique alumni connection through accepting this fellowship. 2017 CHS Psychology Intern alumna Lucetry Dalton, Psy.D. completed her two-year, post-doctoral fellowship at McLaren Flint Hospital. McLaren Flint and Ascension Genesys are both part of the McLaren Health Community. Currently, Dr. Dalton is an assistant professor of Educational Psychology in the Division of Theoretical and Behavioral Foundations located in the College of Education for Wayne State University. She is also the Director of Clinical Training for the School and Community Psychology M.A. Program and currently heads a taskforce to revise this program's handbook. Additionally, Dr. Dalton serves as a Co-Director for the university's Mental Health and Wellness Clinic (MHaWC).

4/30/2022 Kutz named Behavioral Science / Family Systems Educator Fellow

Dr. Richard Kutz was accepted into the twelfth class of Behavioral Science / Family Systems Educator Fellows (BFEF). The fellowship, coordinated by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) accepted 15 fellows from a nationwide pool of applicants. This competitive, yearlong fellowship is for family medicine faculty who have responsibility for coordinating or teaching the behavioral science/family systems curriculum.

"I became aware of the fellowship in 2015 when my mentor, Dr. Ray Hornyak, took me to the Forum for Behavioral Science. It's been a professional goal ever since," Kutz said. "Dr. Spencer [Kutz's supervisor] has been recommending the fellowship and while the time was not right earlier in my career, we decided this was the year to apply. I haven't had the opportunity to engage with a group of professionals practicing in this area of sub-specialty, and I'm very excited."

The BFEF fellowship will take place from May 2022 through May 2023.