Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) services provides an integrative approach to psychology, psychiatry, and medicine for three of San Mateo Medical Center’s outpatient primary care clinics. Psychology providers work alongside primary care physicians, specialty providers, nurses, and medical assistants, offering the most comprehensive care available for our patients. Typical referrals are for adults with mild to moderate psychopathology of depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship problems and/or adjustment disorders related to patients’ medical or social issues. We are privileged to work with individuals who represent diversity in race, ethnicity, age, gender, socioeconomic background, disability status, sexual orientation, and clinical severity.  

Our Fellowship is seamlessly integrated into the IBH team. In most cases, fellows provide the same or similar services as IBH staff psychologists. Every IBH psychologist is involved in training activities to a significant degree, from didactic instruction to supervision. Over the course of their training, fellows are in regular contact with IBH psychologists. Professional socialization, one of our training objectives, emerges naturally in this close, collegial environment.

Mental Health Training History

San Mateo County Health has historically provided training to various types of mental health trainees including psychiatry residents, neuropsychology students, MFT interns, social work interns and graduate-level psychology trainees since the opening of outpatient community mental health in the 1970’s and 80’s.  

The Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) training program at San Mateo Medical Center began training psychology students in 2004 through an internship program. IBH quickly expanded to offer training to practicum students and Postdoctoral Fellows, which provides a rich experience in clinical work and program development Currently, we only offer a APPIC member postdoctoral fellowship.

Training Program Mission and Values 

Our fellowship emphasizes utilization of scientific literature to inform and shape clinical practice in a culturally sensitive manner. ​The IBH training program draws from various disciplines including psychiatry, internal medicine, and medical specialties.  We value and strongly promote regular collaboration with multidisciplinary medical teams to ensure that all aspects of biological, psychological, and social functioning are considered in the assessment, diagnosis, and case formulation of patient care. We have a commitment to diversity and multicultural awareness in all aspects of our training program. Our mission is to provide culturally sensitive and compassionate mental health care to those in need, regardless of their ability to pay. We also aim to foster well-rounded clinicians through a variety of formal training and clinical experiences.

Primary & Secondary Rotations

The primary focus of this APPIC-member Fellowship is to train health psychologists to perform optimally in a multidisciplinary medical and primary care behavioral health setting. Fellows work alongside primary care physicians, social workers, nurses, and medical assistants, offering comprehensive and holistic care for our patients. Fellows will develop expertise in providing warm hand offs, brief individual and group therapy as well as educational outreach in a primary care behavioral health context. During warm hand off shifts, the fellow is located in one of the adult primary care clinics and is available to meet with patients directly from primary care visits to provide a functional assessment, intervention, triage and/or connection to treatment. These shifts are 4 hours in length and a fellow is assigned to 2-3 shifts per week. Fellows will also gain valuable experience in providing telehealth services.

Fellows are given the opportunity to gain experience in a specialty area of knowledge and practice through their participation in a secondary rotation.  Fellows are assigned to one secondary rotation which makes up 10-20 % of their week and is selected based on their interests. Rotation options may include biofeedback, primary care pain management and the pain management clinic. Please refer to the brochure for detailed descriptions. Each fellow is also expected to participate in a consult liaison rotation for a week at minimum and up to 2 weeks. Additionally, for fellows who are fluent in Spanish we provide a Latinx emphasis that offers a structured process to support Spanish language proficiency and increases clinical competence specific to providing therapeutic services in Spanish.

Another core component of our Postdoctoral Fellowship program focuses on growth into the role of an independent psychologist. This includes promoting leadership qualities, consultation skills and the creation of a fellow project to further strengthen professional development. Fellows are also expected to conduct up to two didactic presentations and complete a fellow project during their training year.

Didactics

Seminars include topics related to health psychology, professional development, psychotherapy techniques and chronic disease management. Didactic seminars are often conducted in conjunction with the psychiatry residency program and presented by staff psychologists, psychiatrists, and other licensed medical and mental health professionals. Topics have included brief interventions, ACT and CBT for chronic pain, motivational interviewing, geropsychology and sexual health to name a few.

Position Information

IBH Postdoctoral Fellowship Brochure 2025-2026

IBH is recruiting for three full-time Postdoctoral Fellow to join our multidisciplinary team for the 2025-2026 training year. This position is suited for candidates with a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology who have graduated from an APA-accredited academic program and have completed an APPIC-member internship. Candidates with a Doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology will also be considered. An ideal applicant will have strong clinical skills and interest in Health Psychology.

IBH Postdoctoral Fellows will receive a stipend of $77,295 for the 2025–2026 training year. This position includes full benefits, including health coverage (various medical, dental, and vision plans) for the fellow and eligible family members.  In addition to 11 paid County holidays, fellows will accrue paid vacation hours at a rate of 4 hours for each bi-weekly pay period and paid sick leave at a rate of 3.7 hours for each bi-weekly pay period. Additional electable benefits include life insurance, pet insurance, and a flexible spending account. A detailed description of the packet of benefits can be found on the County of San Mateo website. 

Benefits Guide for Limited Term Employees

Applications may be submitted via APPA CAS portal or by sending the application materials to the email below.  Questions and concerns can be directed to IBH Training Director, Dr. Simone Heron-Carmignani  at HS_IBHTeam@smcgov.org.

All applications must include:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Letter of intent
• Three letters of recommendation, including at least two from clinical supervisors who are familiar with your clinical work.
• Unofficial transcript  

Applications will be reviewed by clinical staff members and selected applicants will be contacted for a virtual interview. Some exceptions may be made for in-person interviews. Special consideration will be given to bilingual, Spanish-speaking applicants. 

Simone Heron-Carmignani, Ph.D.
HS_IBHTeam@smcgov.org
San Mateo Medical Center
Integrated Behavioral Health
222 W 39th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403

IBH Attendings

Simone Heron-Carmignani, PhD (she, her) Supervising Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Training Director
Dr. Simone Heron-Carmignani joined San Mateo Medical Center and Fair Oaks Health Center in 2018. She obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University(APA-Accredited). She utilizes techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapies (ACT) and mindfulness. She provides group supervision.

Katheine Shadish, PhD (she, her), Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Training Director
Dr. Katy Shadish joined San Mateo Medical Center in 2017 as a post-doctoral resident in the Pain Management Clinic and joined the IBH team in 2018. She obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Pacific Graduate School of Psycholoty at Palo Alto Univeristy (APA-Accredited) with an emphasis in community mental health and particular training in the treatment of substance use disorders. She employs techniques informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), motivational interviewing and client-centered approaches. She provides individual and group supervision and supervises the Pain Management Clinic secondary rotation.

Nate Ewigman, PhD (he, him), Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Nate Ewigman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologsit serving two of the San Mateo Medical Center ambulatory clinics. He completed a PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology as well as a Masters in Public Health from the University of Florida. Dr. Ewigman specializes in providing health psychology, behavioral medicine and general mental helth services to diverse patients. He has expertise in Acceptance Commitment Therapies (ACT), mindfulness-based approaches, Motivational interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and biofeedback. He supervises the biofeedback secondary rotation and the Latinx emphasis.

John Sorrell, PhD (he, him),  Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. John Sorrell re-joined San Mateo Medical Center and the Integrated Behvioral Health team in 2020. He is a graduate of West Virginia University. Through cognitive and behavioral and acceptance and commitment therapies Dr. Sorrell helps individuals loosen the grip on emotional distress, live more and suffer less. He supervises the primary care pain management secondary rotation and provides group supervision

Dr. Christian Washburn, PsyD (she, her), Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Christian Washburn,  is a psychologist working in the Pain Management Clinic. She obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology from Alliant International University-CSPP in Sacramento. Dr. Washburn utilizes ACT, mindfulness, and mind-body techniques to support patients in improving functioning and connecting to meaningful lives in the context of chronic pain She supervises the secondary rotation in the Pain Management Clinic.

Dr. Hiba AbuDamous, PsyD (she, her), Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Hiba AbuDamous  joined San Mateo Medical Center as a post-doctoral fellow in 2020 and stayed on to work as a licensed psychologist at Ron Robinson Senior Care Clinic (RRSCC) and one of the adult ambulatory clinics.  She obtained a PsyD in Clinical Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco. She is experienced in working with indivdiuals across the lifespan. She also has expertise in working with individuals experiencing concentration and inattention difficulties. She provides individual therapy and supervises therapy provided in RRSCC by a fellow.

Dr. Gabriela Diaz, PsyD (she, her), Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Gabriela Diaz joined San Mateo Medical Center as a post-doctoral fellow in 2021 where she participated in the biofeedback secondary rotation. She obtained her PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Spalding University in Louisville KY (APA-Accredited).  She has expertise in treating various mental health concerns using Trauma-Focused approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), biofeedback and psychophysiological interventions and mindfulness-based approaches. She provides individual and group supervision and supervises the Latinx emphasis by providing supervision in Spanish.

Dr. Leah Anderson, PhD (she/her), Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Leah Anderson joined San Mateo Medical Center in April 2024. She received her doctorate and master’s degrees from Palo Alto University in clinical psychology. Her approach integrates third wave cognitive behavioral therapies with humanistic principles emphasizing client-centered and culturally responsive care. She provides group supervision.

Dr. Demetra Stamm, MD/PhD (she, her), Psychiatrist
Dr. Demetra Stamm is a graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine where she obtained a MD/PhD with a doctorate in genetics. She completed her psychiatry residency at San Mateo County where she served as chief resident. Since joining the IBH team, she has particularly enjoyed collaborating with providers across disciplines to provide integrative care. She uses evidence-based up-to-date psychopharmacology. She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization (EMDR) and Preprocessing Treatments using attachment-based methods. She also uses mindfulness-based strategies, biofeedback and psychodynamic principles. She provides group supervision.

Dr. Jazmin Llamas, PhD (she, her), Unlicensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Jazmin Llamas joined San Mateo Medical Center in 2021 and stayed on in 2022 as a post-doctoral fellow. She participated in the Pain Management Clinic and Latinx emphasis rotations. Dr. Llamas completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University. Her clinical interests include mood disorders, working with Latinx communities, chronic pain, and using technology to provide accessible and free mental health resources to underserved communities.