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Behavioral Psychology/Neuropsychology Doctoral Internship Training Program

Kennedy Krieger Institute

The Program Aim is to prepare doctoral interns to intermediate competence in delivery of health service psychology with children and adolescents with a range of behavioral, developmental, emotional, health and learning needs along with their families.

The Program includes the Department of Behavioral Psychology and the Department of Neuropsychology.

The program recognizes the importance of cultural and individual differences and diversity in the training of psychologists. Our training program follows Kennedy Krieger Institute’s policy, as an equal opportunity employer, of commitment to diversity at all levels. The internship training program welcomes and encourages qualified individuals to apply and enter on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance, and merit and embraces cultural and individual differences.

Kennedy Krieger is one of the nation’s many programs dedicated to Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND). Administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the LEND program ensures that psychologists, physicians, nurses, therapists and other allied health professionals are qualified to address the unique needs of children with special healthcare requirements and their families — maximizing the developmental potential of children and enhancing the quality of life for families.

Important Dates:

Application Due Date: November 1
Remote/Virtual Interview Notification Date: December 15
Virtual interviews to be held throughout January
Internship Start Date: July 1

Stipend & Benefits:

Annual Stipend:

$50,000

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct relevance to intellectual, developmental, or neurological disorders

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

The strongest alignment is with research addressing important problems in IDD and disorders of the nervous system. The KKI/Johns Hopkins IDDRC specifically supports research intended to advance prevention and treatment of developmental disabilities.

Strong examples include:

Autism spectrum disorder
Intellectual disability
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Cerebral palsy
Pediatric neurological disorders
Genetic developmental disorders
Brain and spinal-cord disorders
Neurorehabilitation
Rare neurological disorders

2. Strong potential for patient and functional outcomes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

KKI's strategic plan places innovative patient care, access to care, community services, and world-class research at the center of its activities.

A competitive project should make a clear connection between the research and outcomes such as:

Discovery → diagnosis/intervention → improved function → improved quality of life

This is particularly important for projects involving rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, clinical interventions, and patient-centered outcomes.

3. Scientific innovation and transformative potential

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

KKI supports research intended to advance understanding of neurological and developmental disorders rather than simply reproduce established findings.

Its internal Goldstein Innovation Grant is specifically available annually to KKI investigators conducting research at the Institute.

A strong proposal should identify:

A significant unanswered question
A genuinely new hypothesis or approach
Limitations of existing methods
The potential scientific advance
Why the research could open a new direction

4. Strong translational pathway

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

The IDDRC describes its research environment as supporting translation along the "bench-to-community" continuum. Its infrastructure is specifically designed to facilitate basic, clinical, and translational research.

A competitive proposal should therefore explain how results could progress toward:

Basic discovery → biomarker/technology → intervention → clinical validation → implementation

This is especially valuable for projects involving diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, prevention, and community implementation.

5. Effective use of KKI/Johns Hopkins research infrastructure

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

KKI's IDDRC provides specialized infrastructure including:

Clinical Translational Core
Genomics Core
Neuroimaging Core
Behavioral Phenotyping Core

KKI investigators can incorporate these resources into grant proposals, and the Institute specifically highlights their availability to IDD researchers.

A strong proposal should demonstrate why the particular KKI resource is necessary for the research rather than merely mentioning institutional facilities.

6. Rigorous clinical, human-subject, or experimental methodology

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

For human-subject research, the application should establish:

Appropriate participant population
Validated outcome measures
Adequate sample/design
Statistical plan
Recruitment feasibility
Retention strategy
Ethical/IRB readiness
Clearly defined endpoints

KKI's IDDRC research-support process requests a project abstract, IDD relevance and the type of research support required.

7. Interdisciplinary collaboration

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

KKI's research model combines expertise from KKI and Johns Hopkins University. Its IDDRC is explicitly structured around multidisciplinary research and coordination among investigators.

Useful combinations can include:

Neurology + genetics
Neuroscience + imaging
Rehabilitation + engineering
Psychology + developmental medicine
Pediatrics + genomics
Data science/AI + clinical research
Education + neurodevelopment

The collaboration should have a clear scientific purpose and complementary expertise.

8. Advanced technology, genomics, imaging, and data capabilities

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

KKI's strategic research plan includes upgrading laboratories for clinical studies of brain and spinal-cord circuitry, developing a genetic sequencing database and biorepository, and improving remote participant data collection.

Potentially strong technology components include:

Genomic sequencing
Neuroimaging
Digital biomarkers
Wearable technologies
Computational neuroscience
AI/data analytics
Precision rehabilitation
Remote monitoring
Biorepositories

The technology should solve a clearly defined scientific or clinical problem.

9. Strong investigator development and mentoring

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

KKI supports graduate students and postdoctoral fellows through established investigators and mentors. Its IDDRC also provides access to education, funding, and advancement opportunities.

For career-development awards, proposals should clearly demonstrate:

Mentor expertise
Training objectives
Skill development
Research independence
Publications/output
Future funding strategy
Access to appropriate facilities

KKI's CNCDP-K12, for example, provides substantial salary and research support for up to three years, with annual review of scholarly progress.

10. Strong grants-management and institutional readiness

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

KKI has a dedicated Office of Research and Sponsored Programs that identifies funding opportunities, supports proposal preparation, develops budgets, handles sponsor portals, manages compliance, and administers awards.

For external grants, this makes the following practically important:

Correct funding mechanism
Accurate budget
Institutional approvals
Regulatory compliance
Human-subject documentation
Sponsor-specific requirements
Realistic timeline
Complete application

Specialties

Behavioural Sciences

Psychology

Neurosciences

Eligibility Requirements

Qualifications for applying to the internship program include current enrollment in an APA-accredited Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D. program in Psychology and completion of at least three years of graduate-level study by the start of the appointment. International students must be enrolled in a US graduate program under a student visa. All applicants are required to submit their application online at www.appic.org, click on “AAPI Online”. We cannot accept mailed documents. Applicants to the Internship program must submit the following via AAPI Online:

A complete AAPI.
A cover letter stating your tracks of interests as well as your training goals.
A curriculum vita.
Official transcript of graduate-level coursework.
Letters of recommendation written by three professors or work supervisors. All letter writers must use the Standard Reference Form (SRF) required by APPIC.
One psychological report submitted as supplemental materials.

Eligible Countries:

United States

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Kennedy Krieger Institute

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 707 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205

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