Why Choose the UH Psychiatry Residency Program
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Psychiatry Department combines the institutional breadth of a large academic medical center with the personal feel and sense of local integration more commonly associated with community-based programs. It’s rare that in the same program, you can learn from subspecialists (some nationally-renowned) in all five ACGME-accredited psychiatry fellowships, as well as, from community-based psychiatrists who are deeply embedded in local mental health service provision and advocacy. Here, you will have many paths available to you professionally. And perhaps more importantly, you can be mentored by faculty and attendings who have the time and active desire to help you find the path best suited to your professional interests and personal values.
Here are a few more reasons why we’re excited to be a part of the UH Cleveland Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program and why you should be, too.
Our Psychiatry Residents
We are a friendly and supportive group of trainees. We work hard because we value education and the privilege of caring for patients but that does not mean we don’t have fun too. We believe in the importance of work-life balance. Residents in our program have a diverse range of professional and personal interests. We are scholars, leaders and medical educators.
Our Psychiatry Residency Program Faculty
Our core, on-site faculty of psychiatrists and psychologists represent a wide variety of clinical expertise and are readily available for electives, supervision and teaching. Across the board, they are enthusiastic supervisors, mentors and teachers.
Comprehensive Psychiatry Fellowships
We have all five AGCME-approved fellowships - so our residents are taught by experts in their fields from day one. Our fellowships include Forensic Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, CL Psychiatry, Public and Community Psychiatry, Women’s Mental Health, College Mental Health, and Research.
Variety of Clinical Sites
We are able to train at a wide variety of clinical locations including community mental health centers, a state hospital, college mental health clinics and intellectual disabilities. Our residents are exposed to a broad range of mental health systems which makes for excellent diversity in patients and provides rich education in overcoming negative social determinants of health.
Our Psychiatry Didactics
We have a comprehensive educational program with protected educational time.
Dedicated Psychotherapy Clinic
Our trainees are able to see long-term and short-term psychotherapy patients in our resident therapy clinic (in person at Walker or via telepsychiatry). This can start as early as second semester of PGY2 year. All trainees have at least two supervisors for this clinic. Our didactic sessions are also designed to enhance and support your development as a therapist. Some residents also elect to do a one-year psychodynamic psychotherapy program at the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center. A few trainees have even stared analytic training while still in residency training!
Psychiatry Leadership and Teaching Opportunities
Our senior residents have many chief roles available to them, tailored to their professional and personal interests and skills. Each resident also has the opportunity to hone their teaching skills through teaching medical students and residents in other specialties. For those who are interested in a career in academic psychiatry, we offer a Leadership in Medical Education Track.
Psychiatry Curriculum Flexibility
Our curriculum allows for six weeks of electives in PGY-2 year, continuing electives in PGY-3 year and nearly all of PGY-4 year is electives. Our residents may choose from any of our established electives, or they may choose a mentor and design their own.
Creative Events
Here at UH Cleveland Psychiatry, we like to bring creativity into our program events. We’ve done a Severance TV show themed program review (complete with baby goats), a Harry Potter retreat and a mafia-themed Clinical Competency Committee meeting where faculty was encouraged to “leave the feedback, take the cannoli.” The program directors have done Ted Lasso themed leadership seminars and Inside Out themed grand rounds. We had a Hot Ones! Style Q&A during new intern orientation week. Dr. Hunt slayed the competition by eating our spiciest wing without breaking a sweat. Up next, we will be having a cooking-themed scholarly project incubator where trainees will say “yes, chef!” to case studies, posters and didactic presentations.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are some unique opportunities at UH?
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- Close relationships with faculty
- Wide variety of clinical sites (main UH hospital, community hospitals, VA, children’s hospital, state psychiatric hospital, community mental health centers)
- Variety of exciting elective opportunities and lots of individualization in schedules: college mental health, women’s mental health, transitional age youth, intellectual disabilities…
- One of the only medical psychiatric units in Ohio
- Leadership in Medical Education Track
- Ability to undertake additional training at the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center
- Strong forensics department
- What are the biggest strengths of the program?
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From a clinical perspective, the psychiatry program at University Hospitals offers robust exposure to community psychiatry and severe mental illness in the context of an academic medical center. UH has partnerships with many community mental health centers and offers a Community Psychiatry Fellowship that residents can participate in during their 4th year of residency.
Another great strength is the program’s emphasis on wellness and work-life balance. Residents here expect to have a life outside of the hospital. In addition to bi-annual wellness retreats, residents often get together to explore the many activities that Cleveland has to offer.
- What do you like to do in your free time?
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Cleveland Metro Parks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The Flats, the museums (art, Rock and Roll Hall of fame, natural history, Museum of Modern Art, Great Lakes Science Center), Playhouse Square, Progressive Field, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, lots of great restaurants, seasonal and cultural festivals.
- Do you feel like residency leadership is supportive?
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Absolutely. Residency has its ups and downs, and thankfully there’s been far more of the good moments than the valleys. When the going does get tough, I always feel some reassurance knowing that the program directors, chiefs, and attendings here have our backs. I had some difficult experiences when I started intern year. The chiefs learned of the situation, made me feel seen, and took action to alleviate the stressor. Later on in intern year, Dr. Cerny (our PD), other attendings, and our chiefs helped my class enact a change in the PGY-2 call schedule that greatly helps out some of my co-residents. And throughout the year, I’ve heard several stories of attendings recognizing residents going through hard times, then intervening in positive ways. On top of the support during the hard times, our PDs have helped out with our resident life events and our semi-annual retreats! Knowing we’re well supported makes a world of difference.
~Gaoliang (Leon) Jiao (he/him)
There is a value held here to support and encourage resident personal growth; whether that means within your family life, your passion projects, or your work as a researcher or advocate, it is understood that all contribute to making you the most fulfilled and best resident you can be. All of these things add-up and help you show up for your patients every day and especially on their extremely hard days. The concept of making sure your cup is full so that you can pour into others is really important in psychiatry, I see it embraced through many efforts in our program.
- Deirdre Martinez-Meehan (she/her - Does the program prepare you for the real world?
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The most valuable resource that my residency provided me was the opportunity to train at a wide-array of clinically-diverse settings, with access to many mentors. Each one held unique perspectives on patient care. I gained valuable clinical experience with the appropriate level of supervision at each phase of my training. The opportunity to moonlight (while still being a resident) furthered my clinical confidence to make the transition from a resident to an early career psychiatrist.
~Aaron Vazquez, MD, MBA, Alumnus
My psychiatry program thoroughly prepared me. Starting a demanding job at a private practice was seamless for me, thanks to the training I received. The program's comprehensive clinical exposure and diverse patient cases provided me with hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge. The training honed my diagnostic abilities, refined my treatment approaches, and deepened my understanding of mental health complexities. As a result, I have been able to transition smoothly into my role, confidently applying the advanced skills and insights gained during my residency to deliver exceptional patient care.
- Dr. Harkirat Kaur, alumnus (she/her)