A collaborative research project co-led by Richard Zhang, MD, MA, and Eunice Yuen, MD, PhD, was recognized at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT). The project focused on immigrant mental health training in U.S. psychiatry residency programs.
Zhang is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at Yale Child Study Center (YCSC). Yuen serves as an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale, with a secondary appointment at YCSC. Colleagues from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and MetroHealth helped develop the project.
The team conducted surveys with psychiatry trainees across the country. They gathered respondents’ perspectives about immigrant mental health, including how related training could be expanded to advance psychiatric education.
“Results revealed widespread need and support for expansion of such education, as well as interest in deeper training in culturally informed care, systematic cultural adaptations of the mental status examination, effective use of interpreters, and interdisciplinary collaboration,” comments Zhang.
A poster presentation outlining the project received first place in the AADPRT poster contest, among 33 presentations. Zhang and Yuen co-authored the poster, titled, “Exploring Training Gaps in Immigrant Mental Health: Perspectives from a Nationwide Sample of Psychiatry Trainees.”
Several YCSC and Department of Psychiatry community members attended the meeting, held March 2–6, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. The event brought together educators and program leaders from across the country to share ways to improve residency and fellowship training programs, and to support the professional growth of training directors, department leaders, program administrators, and residents.
Throughout the week, attendees joined sessions, workshops, showcases, and networking opportunities designed to encourage collaboration and innovation in psychiatric education. Programming included plenary speakers, expert-led workshops, poster presentations, and showcases based on reviewed abstracts.
Karen Franchi, who serves as the training program administrator for child and adolescent psychiatry training programs and a psychology fellowship at YCSC, was among the attendees. She comments, “Participation in the AADPRT annual meeting reflects Yale Child Study Center’s continued commitment to advancing child and adolescent psychiatric education, strengthening the training environment for residents and fellows, and contributing to national conversations about innovation and leadership in mental health training.”