Clinical Science Philosophy
The Ph.D. program in Clinical Science at the University of Southern California is dedicated to the integration of science and application. We aim to educate clinical scientists who conduct research that addresses problems of societal importance and who engage in empirically-supported clinical work. Our goal is to prepare our graduates to create new knowledge with the potential to advance the field in whatever setting they choose to work-- academia, research centers, medical centers, applied settings, or private industry.
Our program and education model have several defining features:
- Students simultaneously engage in research, clinical work, and course work in each year of the Ph.D. program.
- Research requirements are designed to be a step-wise progression to skills needed to excel as an independent researcher.
- Students do clinical placements at our on-campus training clinic, which provides psychological services to individuals, older adults, children, couples and families from the Los Angeles community, and also have opportunities for external assessment and intervention placements.
- With sub-specialties in clinical-aging and child/family, life-span development is a prominent theme throughout our coursework and research.
- Students receive high quality training in research methodology and data analysis.
- Situated between downtown and South Los Angeles, our program offers considerable opportunities to conduct research and clinical work with persons from a wide range of economic, cultural, and racial backgrounds.
- Clinical Science faculty conduct research on psychosocial issues associated with significant societal problems including substance abuse disorders and other addictions, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, health problems including cancer and cardiovascular disease, bullying and peer victimization, hate crimes, family and community violence, and the reintegration of juvenile offenders.
- Cultural competence is addressed in clinical work and in research through culturally sensitive treatments for ethnic minorities, public health campaigns to help Spanish speaking family members recognize signs of psychosis, the study of quality of life among Latina women with cancer, and culturally responsive therapy for Asian Americans with phobias.
- Clinical Science faculty conduct highly visible international research including studies on peer relations in China, the adjustment of orphan heads-of-households from the Rwandan genocide, and dementia in Swedish twins.
- Annual program events include day-long workshops with world-renowned clinical researchers, our end-of year conference where students present research, and brown bags on professional, research, and clinical topics.
Our program been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1948, and we are a charter member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science.
The Director of Clinical Training is Dr. Gayla Margolin, margolin@usc.edu
The Associate Director of Clinical Training is Dr. Robert Gore, lgore@usc.edu
The Administrative Assistant is Cecilia Fuentes Montero, fuentesm@usc.edu
