While seeing patients and practicing medicine is a critical part of residency training, organized didactics and seminars are also critical for the development of the young psychiatrist. These formats allow residents to gain a deeper understanding of the scientific foundation of our field, current developments, and the likely path that we will be walking in the future.
Conferences and seminars
Our program’s didactic training can be divided into four main groups. The first group includes the routine Grand Rounds, general resident lecture series, and M&M Conferences that most programs provide their residents. The second group is comprised of specific summer series that prepare a specific resident cohort for the upcoming year. The third group–advanced resident lectures and Research Conference–is designed for PGY3s and 4s and allows them to delve into subjects in much more detail. Finally, the fourth group involves rotation-specific lectures and conferences.
Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds takes place weekly from mid-September to mid-May. Topics run the gamut from basic neuroscience to clinical topics.
General resident seminars
The Tuesday Resident Seminar series is designed to give residents the basic fund of knowledge needed for a psychiatrist practicing today. The seminars are grouped into six disease modules, integrating basic sciences with clinical sciences. Two modules are taught each year over a three-year cycle. The series is called Psychiatric Disorders – Benchside to Bedside and includes modules on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and dementia. In addition, courses in psychological models, psychological testing, and personality disorders round out the Tuesday Resident Seminar Series.
Advanced resident seminars & research conference
On Wednesday mornings, the PGY3 and 4 residents attend seminars on advanced topics. These seminars are organized into “courses” that alternate every other year. This seminar is then followed by Research Conference where researchers from the university as well as nationally present and discuss their on-going efforts at advancing our field.
M&M Conference
M&M Conference is one of the residents’ most popular seminars. Each PGY4 resident and child fellow prepares a clinical case of interest to that trainee. After presenting the case, the trainee reviews pertinent data from the literature and leads a discussion about the decisions that were made in the case. Below is a listing of the cases that were discussed in the previous year.
| Resident | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Subha Subramanian, MD | 7/22/2021 | Exploration of ECT Parameters in Schizoaffective Disorder: A Stimulating Discussion |
| Joshua Siegel, MD, PhD | 8/26/2021 | Catatonia following a traumatic brain injury |
| Kevin Xu, MD, MPH | 9/23/2021 | Chasing Cures, Missing Goals: Terminal Cancer in Patients with Schizophrenia |
| Amir Khan, MD | 10/14/2021 | Antipsychotic Induced Movement Disorders |
| Lingjin Zheng, MD | 10/28/2021 | Homicide and Risk Assessment |
| Matthew Chapman, MD | 11/18/2021 | Schizophrenia and Use of Haldol Decanoate |
| Callie Bishop, MD | 12/16/2021 | Is it ARFID? What is ARFID? |
| Angela Lin, MD, MS | 1/20/2022 | Glutamatergic Modulation for Treatment-Resistant OCD |
| Jaskirat Sidhu, MD | 1/27/2022 | Overlap between autism traits and personality disorder traits, and potential treatment implications |
| Emily Slat, MD, PhD | 2/24/2022 | Psychosis risk associated with cannabis use in adolescence |
| Darin Quach, DO, PhD | 3/24/2022 | This Really Tics Me Off |
| Lauren Marks, MD PGY2 Residents | 4/21/2022 | Quality Improvement Cases |
Summer series
During the summer months, residents attend summer seminars that are designed to prepare them for their upcoming year.