Yale Fellowship in Public Psychiatry

Background

The Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) 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 47 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 for a Community Services Network comprised of 18 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 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.

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, the Yale Fellowship in Public Psychiatry was launched at CMHC in 2007. As of June 2012, six Fellows have graduated from the program and all of the former Fellows are working in the public sector. Three of the six graduates have been appointed as Medical Directors within their agencies.

Goals and Objectives

The CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, 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 settings of state-funded, academic, mental health centers provide excellent opportunities for obtaining experience and greater understanding in this important area.

The Yale Fellowship will provide advanced training in clinical, administrative, and legal aspects of the practice of psychiatry within the public sector, including policy development on a statewide level. It will foster the development of the participants in their careers as future leaders within the field by providing didactic and interactive learning experiences, mentorship, and opportunities to engage in scholarship.

Eligibility requirements include graduation from an accredited residency program, board eligibility, employability 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.

Structure of Fellowship Program

As of July 2013 the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is funding three Fellowship positions, and has expanded the clinical placements to include Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH) as well as CMHC.

Fellows are appointed to the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry in the Yale School of Medicine at the rank of Instructor. A yearly salary is paid at the level approved by the Department for this rank. Medical benefits, malpractice coverage, and reimbursement for licensure are included in the compensation package. The program will also pay travel expenses for a professional conference. The Yale School of Medicine will issue a certificate of completion of advanced training to individuals who successfully complete the one-year program.

Fellows will spend 50% effort providing direct clinical service and/or consultation within public mental health settings. One Fellow is based at CMHC in New Haven for the clinical placement and two Fellows are based at CVH in Middletown, CT. CVH is the primary state hospital with over 600 beds, and is used as a statewide resource for specialty and intermediate and long term care. Fellows will spend 50% time participating in seminars, administrative meetings, supervision and scholarship.

• All Fellows spend approximately 20 hours per week engaged in clinical work including direct service, team meetings, clinical supervision, and other related activities at CMHC or CVH. Potential placements at CVH include inpatient Young Adult Services, TBI unit, General Psychiatry and a unit for Older Adults. Potential placements at CMHC include Acute Services, Hispanic Clinic, STEP clinic, and the Dixwell-Newhallville Community Mental Health Clinic.
• Fellows based at CVH are invited to attend administrative meetings for Medical Staff and other leadership at that site, such as the Governing Body and Operations Council and the General Psychiatry Division Risk Review meeting.
• The core seminar in Public Mental Health Administration takes place at CMHC on Wednesday afternoons, and all Fellows attend. They also join the weekly CMHC MD meeting. Administrative supervision with the Program Director takes place bi-weekly at CMHC, and individual supervision is also be scheduled.
• All Fellows attend the monthly Clinical Chiefs meeting held at CVH, chaired by the DMHAS Medical Director.

Scholarship

Fellows are expected to develop and complete an academic or quality improvement project during the year that will further their understanding of an aspect of Public Psychiatry and promote the advancement of care in the field. These projects may culminate in lectures for professional staff and/or a community audience, papers suitable for publication, development of statewide policy, etc. Fellows who are based at CVH will be encouraged to seek a topic for study that is relevant to the provision of care in that setting, and may be carried out under the mentorship of CVH leaders.

Schedule

Core Faculty

Jeanne Steiner, DO, Program Director
Associate Professor
Medical Director, CMHC

Michael Sernyak, MD
Professor of Psychiatry
Director, CMHC

Ezra Griffith, MD
Professor of Psychiatry
Medical Director, DMHAS

Allison Ponce, PhD
Associate Director, Community Services Network
Assistant Professor

Andres Barkil-Oteo, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Vinod Srihari, MD
Assistant Professor
Director, Program for Specialized Treatment for Early Psychosis

Dr. Steiner is 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.

Application Process

Please send a letter of interest describing your background, career goals, and how the Fellowship will facilitate your achievement of those goals, and a CV to Dr. Steiner. Please arrange for 3 letters of reference to be sent directly to her.

Contact Information

Jeanne Steiner, DO
Medical Director, Connecticut Mental Health Center
34 Park Street
New Haven, CT 06519

jeanne.steiner@yale.edu or (203) 974-7077

References

Core Elements of a Public Psychiatry Fellowship, Ranz JM, Deakins SM, LeMelle SM, Rosenheck SD, Kellermann SL, Psychiatric Services, July 2008

Public Psychiatry Fellowships: A Developing Network of Public – Academic Collaborations. LeMelle S, Manguran C, Ali OM, Giggie MA, Hadley T, Lewis ME, Runnels P, Sowers, W, Steiner JL, Trujillo M, Ranz JM: Psychiatric Services 63:9:851-854, 2012.