Postdoctoral Training

​​​​​​​​​The purpose of this program, directed by Monita Chatterjee, Ph.D. and co-directed by Karla McGregor, Ph.D., is to furnish postdoctoral fellows an opportunity to develop and broaden their research capabilities in one or a combination of scientific disciplines related to human communication and its disorders. A number of exceptional features associated with the program are particularly advantageous to trainees, including:

• A training faculty of full-time scientists to serve as sponsors
• A staff of research-oriented clinicians with access to a large and varied patient population
• Modern, well-equipped laboratories and diagnostic clinics
• A stimulating mix of fundamental and clinically relevant research projects
• A strong core support staff

A T32 institutional postdoctoral training grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides stipends for three trainees in behavioral and clinical translational research appointments with mentors listed below. Additional positions may on occasion be available in these labs or in other research areas including biology, physiology and genetics based on other funding outside of the T32 grant. ​

Description of Training

The principal component of our postdoctoral training is research in collaboration with, or under the supervision of, one or more experienced investigators on a mutually determined research problem. Training always involves direct participation by the postdoctoral fellow in all aspects of research, from planning to manuscript preparation.

The training program encourages interdisciplinary approaches where feasible and provides an opportunity for the trainees to gain at least some research experience in disciplines not directly related to their area of interest. Finally, the program encourages the trainees to become familiar with communication disorders and with the primary clinical procedures used in their assessment and treatment.

The goals of the postdoctoral training program are reached through a combination of supervised research, seminars and elective courses. NIH strongly encourages postdoctoral fellows to complete a minimum of two years of research training and limits stipend-supported training to a maximum of three years.

As part of the T32 training program, postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to prepare and submit applications for individual (F32) postdoctoral fellowships after they come to Boys Town National Research Hospital. This provides a structured planning process for the postdoctoral research program, gives the applicant experience in NIH grant preparation, results in external review of the proposed research, and releases T32 funds for additional trainees.

T32 Program Research Faculty

The research faculty members of the T32 program are listed below. Mentors for postdoctoral training with T32 support are selected from this list. Trainees working with a more junior mentor are also paired with a more senior mentor.​

• Angela AuBuchon, Ph.D. - Working Memory and Language
  
• James Blair, Ph.D. -  Neurobehavioral Research
  
• Karina Blair, Ph.D. - fMRI-based Anxiety and Trauma Research
• Adam Bosen, Ph.D. - Auditory Perceptual Encoding
• Monita Chatterjee, Ph.D. - Auditory Prostheses and Perception
  
• Katherine Gordon, Ph.D. - Language Learning and Memory
• Kristen Janky, Ph.D. - Audiology and Vestibular Services
• Douglas Keefe, Ph.D. - Middle-ear and Otoacoustic Emissions
• Kaylah Lalonde, Ph.D. - Audiovisual Speech Processing
• Hope Sparks Lancaster, Ph.D. - Etiologies of Language and Literacy Laboratory
• Lori Leibold, Ph.D. - Human Auditory Development
• Ryan McCreery, Ph.D. - Hearing and Amplification
  
• Karla McGregor, Ph.D. - Word Learning
  
• Gabrielle Merchant, Au.D., Ph.D. - Translational Auditory Physiology and Perception
  
• Stephen Neely, D.Sc. - Communication Engineering
  
• Daniel Rasetshwane, Ph.D.​ - Auditory Signal Processing
  
• G. Christopher Stecker, Ph.D. – Spatial Hearing and Auditory Neuroscience
• Krystal Werfel, Ph.D. - Written Language Laboratory​​
  
• Kathryn Wiseman, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Candidates who have completed a Ph​D, DSc, MD or MD-PhD are selected on the basis of their demonstrated research capability and their likelihood of benefiting from, and contributing to, areas of ongoing research at Boys Town National Research Hospital. Particular attention is paid to identifying and recruiting qualified candidates among minorities and women.

Please contact Monita Chatterjee if you have any questions about the program at Monita.Chatterjee@boystown.org.  If you wish to apply to the program, please complete the pre-application form below.

Pre-Application for Postdoctoral Training

View or complete the ​BTNRH Pre-Application Form ​for postdoctoral training.

Current and Past T32 Trainees

For current and past T32 trainees listing, click here.​​