Kirsten Wilkins, MD

Dr. Wilkins is Professor, Director of Medical Student Education, and Interim Deputy Chair for Education in the Department of Psychiatry. She also serves as Associate Chief of Mental Health at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, CT. Dr. Wilkins works clinically in outpatient geriatric psychiatry.

As a clinician-educator, Dr. Wilkins is actively involved in the supervision and education of Yale medical students, PA students, and psychiatry residents and fellows. She served as the Psychiatry Clerkship Director from 2011-2019, Director of the YSM Clerkship Curriculum from 2014-2018, and Executive Director of the Yale Interprofessional Longitudinal Clinical Experience from 2018-2022. On a national level, she has long been involved with the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP), having previously served as Chair of the AAGP Teaching and Training Committee and Chair of the AAGP Scholars Program for trainees. She was Co-Chair of the 2021 AAGP Annual Meeting. Dr. Wilkins is a member of the Association for Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) and serves as Co-Chair of the ADMSEP Education Scholars Program.

Dr. Wilkins is board certified in General Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with subspecialty certification in both Geriatric Psychiatry and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. She has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications and has presented regionally and nationally in the areas of clinical geriatric psychiatry, medical student education, learning climate, and the education of medical trainees in geriatric psychiatry. Current areas of research interest include medical education in geriatric psychiatry, learning climate, integration of mental health and primary care, health professional attitudes toward psychosocial aspects of medicine, and medical student mental health.