Kirsten Wilkins, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, will become the new Psychiatry Clerkship Director as of October 1, 2011. Dr. Wilkins has taught on the topic of dementia as part of the clerkship program didactics, supervised medical students on the inpatient psychiatry unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and served as a write-up tutor.
Jill Barron, MD will continue in the role of Associate Clerkship Director.
Robert Rohrbaugh, MD, Professor and Deputy Chair for Education and Career Development, who has served in this role for fourteen years announced the transition, "Dr. Wilkins trained in geriatric psychiatry here at Yale and has been a terrific educator and able administrator. She has already begun to develop a national reputation as an educator in the field of geriatric psychiatry. I know we will all enjoy working with her and that our students will benefit from her expertise."
Dr. Wilkins shared her excitement at taking on this new role, "The strength of the Psychiatry Clerkship lies in the Department's exceptionally talented and dedicated faculty and resident educators, who provide our medical and PA students with rich clinical experiences in a wide variety of settings. This year, twelve percent of Yale's medical school graduates matched in psychiatry, a testament to the success of our clerkship. I look forward to joining this well-established collaboration between the department and the medical school that provides an innovative experience for medical students."
The clerkship, which introduces all Yale medical students to the specialty of psychiatry, is an intensive six-week experience in which students split their time between inpatient facilities and consultation services at department-affiliated hospitals and a number of diverse outpatient clinics.
As part of the clerkship, each medical student is paired with interview and writing tutors, generally members of the faculty or senior psychiatry residents. These unique opportunities for one-on-one mentorship are frequently cited as key to the program's success.
The Yale School of Medicine's Medical Student Education Committee (MSEC) and the Department wish to thank Dr. Rohrbaugh for his stewardship of this important program. Richard Belitsky, MD, Harold W. Jockers Associate Professor of Medical Education, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and Deputy Dean for Education, welcomed Dr. Wilkins and noted, "Dr. Rohrbaugh has set a high standard for the psychiatry clerkship. The program is among the highest quality clinical experiences at Yale. We will miss his tremendous enthusiasm and innovative energy. The school and its students are fortunate that he will stay active in medical education in other roles."