Tracks

The UC San Diego Community Psychiatry Residency Track was developed out of a partnership between UCSD and the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency to train psychiatrists with specialization in addressing the mental health needs of the community and public sector. During the program, residents learn the principles and gain the skills necessary to be leaders in public mental heath care. Residents are placed at clinical rotational sites treating underserved populations and gain exposure to a variety of clinical settings. In addition to the rotations and general didactics, the track has a special seminar series in the 3rd and 4th year focused on population health, advocacy, healthcare leadership, program design, social determinants of health, finance, budgeting, collaborative care and more. The program also fosters a collaborative environment with our community partners to help meet the needs of our trainees, the community and the patients we serve. Through clinical experience, education and mentorship, the UCSD Community Psychiatry Residency track aims to develop residents with an understanding of the public mental health system along with the administration and policy skills to become leaders in our field. Additional information on how to apply can be found here.

NIMH-FUNDED PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH TRACK
UCSD has supported a dedicated Research Track for qualified residents since 1987. Trainees from this program are now in senior leadership positions throughout our field. This structured program, Directed by Neal Swerdlow, M.D., Ph.D. and funded via an NIMH R25 mechanism, emphasizes solid training in clinical Psychiatry, mentored independent research with dedicated research time in PGY years 2-4, research-relevant didactics and focused mentorship in critical areas of career development for Academic Psychiatry. Trainees are encouraged and financially supported to present their research findings at national and international meetings each year. With input from our Program Advisers and the Research Track Director, Research Residents develop individualized plans for post-Residency career paths, which may involve any one of 18 NIH-, VA- or UCSD-funded Psychiatry Fellowships, or direct pathways into Faculty positions. A full description of this program is found here

There are few experiences more rewarding than making a real difference in a patient's life.  Learning the skills to be both a family physician and a psychiatrist all in one visit and caring for high risk, underserved patients can give you the tools and experience to do just this.  With combined faculty in place to help residents truly integrate physical and behavioral health in each visit, the UC San Diego Combined Program aims to graduate residents who are ready to meet the needs of their patients with the understanding that to find health, the mind and the body must work together.   The out-patient portion of the combined residency has a particular emphasis on the care of the homeless or otherwise medically underserved populations.  The Family Medicine Center and part of the out-patient Psychiatry Clinic are situated in the Medical Clinic of St. Vincent de Paul Village, which provides a comprehensive continuum of services for the homeless community of San Diego County . We believe that the establishment of the program in an out-patient clinic which serves the homeless, the medically underserved, and the medical needs of the persistently mentally ill is a unique and particularly rich and rewarding training experience.Additional infromation on how to apply can be found here.