Residency Training -- Adult (General) Psychiatry

Director: Beth Ann Brooks, MD
Associate Director:  Richard Balon, MD
UPC - Jefferson, Room 400
Phone: 313.577.5267
Fax: 313.577.2233

Message from the Training Directors
Residency training in Psychiatry is undergoing a rapid transformation driven by developments in the neurosciences and the skills necessary for the practice of psychiatry. The economic resources allocated by the financiers of medical care to the treatment of those who are mentally ill also has impacted residency training. Great progress has been made in understanding the neurobiology of mental disorders and in creating medications that effectively manage psychiatric symptoms. New and more efficient forms of psychotherapy also have evolved and are undergoing research validation. Psychiatry, with its blend of neurosciences and humanism, may well be the most exciting and gratifying specialty in all of medicine. Residents must be taught to use cutting-edge science to meet the needs of patients, regardless of what financiers may dictate. It is the obligation of any residency program to emphasize the importance of advocating for individual patients and to teach the most current knowledge to its trainees. These values direct the Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center Psychiatry residency. We prepare our residents for a process of lifelong learning. 

The Department's Mission
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences is an academic department within the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Our mission is to study and find solutions for the etiology and treatment of serious and chronic mental disorders. These goals are achieved by an integration of basic and clinical research in a setting that fosters high quality education-training and excellent clinical services. 

Training Philosophy
Our primary objective is to train state-of-the-art clinicians and researchers. Each resident must develop an appreciation of the biological, psychological, and social forces that play important roles in the genesis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Such an extensive breadth of understanding is achieved only through a broad-based, balanced program. Although our program is comprehensive and geographically decentralized, we aim to hone and support the unique interests of each resident. Thus, we offer our residents an exceptionally wide array of training opportunities in subspecialty areas, including a research track, a Masters in Psychiatry, and active collaboration with the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. 

The Faculty
Our faculty and program staff are committed to offering residents the opportunity to develop the knowledge base, skills, and attitudes upon which to prepare for American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certification, and thereafter build successful careers in psychiatry. Our faculty consists of a wide range of professionals, all of whom contribute actively to our education-training programs. This diverse group of educators includes physicians, psychologists, social workers, clinical and basic scientists, and statisticians. These individuals closely collaborate with residents and one another on educational and research projects. The vibrancy of these relationships as they bridge clinical and basic research is one of the program’s defining aspects. Our faculty contains some of the finest clinicians and researchers currently working in the neurosciences. Among them are former members of NIH, a director of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and members of other prestigious national organizations and review bodies. The hands-on involvement of this group of highly skilled individuals underlies the department’s commitment to its residents and other trainees in psychology, social work, and the neurosciences.

Program Outline

Information for Interested Applicants
Our program is fully accredited by ACGME. We accept applications only through ERAS, do not make pre-Match offers, and do not sponsor new H1 visas. We offer interviews to only those applicants whose USMLE (or COMLEX) 1 and 2 scores average 80 and who have been in medical school, residency, or active practice as a physician within the past 5 years; multiple USMLE attempts and failure to complete previous residencies are scrutinized. International medical graduates will not be interviewed unless they are certified by ECFMG. Applicants are reminded that they should submit originally authored Personal Statements to ERAS. We prefer U.S. health care experience, particularly in psychiatry; our department does not offer clinical observerships or externships due to privacy and liability issues. Interviews are scheduled on Mondays and Fridays from October through January. For further information, please contact aharper@med.wayne.edu.

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