Investing in Researchers: Foundation Names Third IFS Research Fellow
Investing in Researchers: Foundation Names Third IFS Research Fellow
The Foundation for Self Leadership is pleased to announce the selection of Corinne Sejourne, PhD, as the third recipient of the Richard C. Schwartz Research Fellowship. She will begin her fellowship in September 2026 at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
Several years ago, the Foundation expanded its research strategy beyond providing seed funding for individual studies to investing directly in promising researchers who could help sustain independent IFS research over time. The premise was straightforward: studies are essential, but building a durable body of evidence also requires researchers who can establish long-term programs of inquiry, form research teams, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and attract external funding.
“The Foundation is pleased to sustain this research fellowship for another round, and we hope to raise additional funds needed to continue it beyond 2027,” said Toufic Hakim, PhD, Executive Director of the Foundation. “This is our investment in the future of independent IFS clinical research.” Generous contributions from the IFS community have enabled the Foundation to sponsor three Fellows to date. Fellowship funding provides salaries aligned with National Institutes of Health postdoctoral standards, together with support for research-related travel and publication expenses.
The inaugural Fellow, Dilara Ally, PhD, MSW, brought extensive experience in statistical genetics, data science, clinical social work, and health-equity research. She was followed by cognitive neuroscientist Diane Joss, PhD, whose work examines the psychological and neural mechanisms of IFS and its clinical applications. Both have contributed to IFS studies, coauthored publications, and pursued supplementary external funding.
Following a wide-ranging search, Corinne was selected as the 2026-2027 Fellow to continue this emerging research tradition. She will join CHA, which hosts a growing concentration of IFS-related research, clinical practice, and professional training. Under the leadership of Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD, several Foundation-funded studies have been conducted there and an extensive group of clinicians throughout the community health system has received IFS training.
Corinne completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at McGill University, where her research explored pathways involving stress exposure, physiological reactivity, and resilience. Her work integrates cardiovascular and neural psychophysiology, behavioral observation, and mind-body interventions. Her clinical experience spans medical and psychiatric settings, including chronic pain and illness, oncology and palliative care, PTSD and complex PTSD, and mood and anxiety disorders.
Across her clinical and research work, Corinne has developed a particular interest in the relationship between physical and psychological health and in the potential of compassion-oriented approaches to alter the effects of stress and trauma.
“I aim to advance understanding of how effective interventions can alter stress-related trajectories and improve both individual well-being and the systems in which people work, heal, and live,” she wrote in her fellowship application.
The Foundation welcomes Corinne Sejourne and looks forward to following—and sharing—the progress of her work.
Bio
Corinne Sejourne, PhD, has been selected as the third Richard Schwartz Research Fellow. She will join the Center for Compassion and Mindfulness (CMC) at the Cambridge Health Alliance, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School, as a clinical psychology postdoctoral fellow in September 2026.
Her doctoral research at McGill University explored intergenerational pathways amongst stress exposure, reactivity, and resilience. She applied a multimodal approach that integrated cardiovascular and neural psychophysiology, behavioral observation, and mind-body intervention. Her clinical work has spanned medical and psychiatric hospital settings, including chronic pain, palliative care, oncology, chronic illness, PTSD, and mood and anxiety disorders.
Corinne has been a certified yoga teacher since 2017. Her yoga practice has shaped her longstanding interest in embodied, mind-body approaches to psychological health and healing. Across her clinical and research work, she is deeply interested in the intersection of physical and psychological health, and in the potential for compassionate, mindfulness-based interventions to transform pathways from stress exposure to adverse outcomes.
She is delighted to be joining CMC, where she hopes to investigate how Internal Family Systems, as an integrative, compassion-oriented approach, may deepen our understanding and treatment of stress and trauma while supporting greater connection with the whole person.