VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Suicide Prevention - Dept of Veterans Affairs, Denver/Aurora, CO

Our Colorado site is currently accepting applications for the APA-accredited Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment in Suicide Prevention.

The training faculty currently accepting Fellows are Dr. Daniel Reis, Ph.D., and Dr. Lauren Borges, Ph.D.

Dr. Daniel Reis is accepting postdoctoral Fellow applications for the Rocky Mountain MIRECC’s APA-Accredited Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment in Suicide Prevention. Dr. Reis’s research focuses on temporal patterns of suicide risk, with a specific interest in sleep and circadian risk factors. The Fellow would have the opportunity to contribute to several ongoing projects, including: 1) a large-scale analysis of electronic medical record data to develop latent suicide risk profiles and evaluate longitudinal changes in profile states; 2) increasing implementation of bright light therapy for major depressive disorder in VA primary care settings; and 3) developing a novel digital intervention for sleep and circadian health guided by wearable sensor data and digital sleep health phenotypes. In addition, the Fellow will receive clinical training and accrue hours towards licensure in the Rocky Mountain MIRECC’s local Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program service. Finally, the Fellow will have the opportunity to lead guided research projects and contribute to publications.

Dr. Lauren Borges is accepting postdoctoral Fellow applications for the Rocky Mountain MIRECC’s APA-Accredited Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment in Suicide Prevention. Dr. Borges’ research program focuses on applications of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to disrupt moral injury and suicidal behavior. Dr. Borges co-leads a lab with Dr. Sean Barnes and the Fellow would have the opportunity to contribute to their currently funded projects including: 1. Examining the impacts of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Moral Injury (ACT-MI) and Present Centered Therapy for Moral Injury (PCT-MI) on Veteran psychosocial functioning through a national efficacy trial; 2. A project focused on determining the acceptability and feasibility of ACT for VA health care providers (ACT-HCP) who struggle with moral distress related to their work providing medical or mental health care; 3. A multi-site efficacy trial of an application of ACT for suicide prevention among Veterans hospitalized in VA inpatient mental health units. In addition, the Fellow will receive clinical training and accrue hours towards licensure in the Rocky Mountain MIRECC’s local Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program service. Finally, the Fellow will have the opportunity to lead guided research projects and contribute to publications.

Contact: General inquiries regarding the Fellowship and application materials for the Colorado Fellowship position(s) may be e-mailed to Dr. Lauren Borges at [email protected].

Please visit the website for additional information: https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/fellowship/denver.asp

(This page was last updated on 1/19/2026)