Advanced Residency Training

Fellowship in Public Psychiatry

Background

The Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) opened its doors in 1966 and has flourished as a successful partnership between the Yale University School of Medicine and the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) for the past 40 years. CMHC provides a full range of inpatient and ambulatory services to residents of the Greater New Haven area, serves as a training ground for mental health professionals from several disciplines, and is the site for internationally acclaimed research. CMHC is also the Local Mental Health Authority of a 16-agency Community Services Network of clinical, residential, vocational, and psychosocial rehabilitation providers.

The Center is located in a central location in New Haven across the street from Yale-New Haven Hospital and adjacent to the campus of the Yale University School of Medicine. The target population for the Center’s programs consists of individuals who are indigent and who suffer from serious mental health and addictive disorders. The Ambulatory Services provide evaluation and treatment to approximately 5000 persons per year, both on-site at the main Center and through its satellite clinics and outreach teams. The Inpatient Service treats patients who are unable to obtain intensive inpatient treatment in the private sector by virtue of their lack of insurance or severity of their illness. The Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit and Ribicoff Research Facilities at CMHC are the location of basic and clinical neurobiological research programs that have had an enormous impact on the field. The Law and Psychiatry Division is led by national experts who are involved in teaching, consultation and scholarship activities within the Center and on a national level. The Division of Substance Abuse is one of the leading clinical and research programs in the country. Research on chronic mental illness and recovery is another academic center with a national reputation. Finally, the CMHC is developing research programs in psychiatric epidemiology, services research, prevention, and public health.

CMHC-Yale Training Programs:

The CMHC is a site for training of professionals from the key mental health disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, and chaplaincy. Medical students from the Yale School of Medicine rotate through the Inpatient Service, and Residents in psychiatry participate in a variety of clinical services in their PG 2, 3, and 4 years. Fellowship programs in Addiction Psychiatry, Neuroscience Research, and Forensic Psychiatry are ongoing. A new research education program on chronic mental illness began in July, 2006. Because of the depth and breadth of experience in the understanding and practice of Public Sector Psychiatry that exists within the Center and its affiliate agencies, a new Fellowship was launched in 2007.

Fellowship Mission Statement:

The Connecticut Mental Health Center and the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale School of Medicine are committed to providing advanced training to psychiatrists who are interested in pursuing careers in the field of Public Psychiatry. The unique setting of a state-funded, academic, urban mental health center provides an excellent opportunity for obtaining experience and greater understanding in this important area. The program will provide advanced training in clinical, administrative, and legal aspects of the practice of psychiatry within the public sector. It will foster the development of the participants in their careers as future leaders.

Core Faculty and Areas of Expertise:

Jeanne Steiner, D.O., Medical Director, CMHC, Program Director
Administrative Psychiatry

Kenneth Marcus, M.D., Medical Director DMHAS Statewide Policy and Service Development

Selby Jacobs, M.D., Director, CMHC
Administrative Psychiatry

Howard Zonana, M.D., Director Law and Psychiatry for CMHC and Yale Department of Psychiatry
Jail Diversion, Mental Health Statutes, etc.

Bruce Wexler, M.D., Associate Medical Director
Ambulatory Services Training Coordinator

Ezra Griffith, M.D., Deputy Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Administrative Psychiatry, Ethics, Statewide Policy Development

Dr. Steiner will serve as the Program Director and administrative supervisor of the Fellows. As Medical Director of CMHC, she oversees the training programs for psychiatry residents, the clinical care provided by faculty, and the administration of the Risk Management and Performance Improvement programs for the hospital. She will arrange and monitor all clinical and educational components of this program.

Structure of Fellowship Program:

One position for a PG 5 or PG 6 resident is available per year for advanced training in Public Psychiatry. Eligibility requirements include graduation from an accredited residency program, board eligibility, and licensure in the state of CT. Candidates who are interested in pursuing clinical and administrative careers in the public sector, and who would like to gain experience in this field are encouraged to apply.

A stipend will be paid by Yale University at the level of the individual’s PG year. Medical benefits, malpractice coverage, and reimbursement for licensure are included. The Yale School of Medicine will issue a certificate of completion of advanced training to individuals who successfully complete the one-year program.

The Fellow will spend approximately 50% time attending seminars, supervision, and administrative meetings of CMHC and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Seminars include a weekly forum for Attendings and Residents to learn together about the application of Evidenced Based Medicine in the treatment of individuals with serious and persistent mental illness, and an interdisciplinary seminar also focused on the specific needs of this population. Through participation in the administrative meetings the Fellow will learn about medical staff and regulatory agency issues, mental health policy development and implementation on a statewide and local level, and the financing of public mental health services and initiatives.

The Fellow will provide direct clinical service and/or consultation within public mental health settings in New Haven for approximately 50% effort. The settings will include the Ambulatory Services of CMHC and one or more of the agencies affiliated with the Community Services Network. Supervision and mentorship will be provided by the Core Faculty and by others members of the faculty from the Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.

Scholarship:

The Fellow will be encouraged to select an area of interest to consider for further exploration. This might take the form of a research project, a review of the literature, an examination of policy issues, or other special focus. The fellow will be assisted in developing a manuscript suitable for publication based on this project.

More information:

Please direct all inquiries to Dr. Steiner at:
Jeanne.Steiner@yale.edu
(203) 974-7077

Yale is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women and minority group members are encouraged to apply.

Application information is available here.

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