Caylan Bookman

Hey everyone! I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona by mygrandmother, aunt, and mother. These women taught me what it is to love and helped me find my path as a healer. I studied psychology at Grand Canyon University where I got my taste of college athletics by becoming the university mascot. After finishing college, I got a job working with youth from underserved backgrounds in the foster care system where I got to teach them how to navigate life while carrying a psychiatric diagnosis. It is through this work that I decided I wanted to pursue psychiatry. I attended medical school at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Medical school was a transformative period in my life as it began to give me the language to talk about the inequities I witnessed/lived growing up. Diversity, equity, and inclusion became an integral part of my training as I served on various committees while also helping establish the inaugural antiracism in medicine committees on our campus. I further developed my leadership capabilities through becoming president of my school’s SNMA, Psychiatry Interest Group as well as vice president of the student body and the African American Student Association. During medical school, I spent a large amount of my time serving in our school’s free clinics, focusing on our psychiatric clinic, allowing me to earn a distinction in community service. Working with patients from various cultures opened my eyes to other healing practices and inspired me to pursue further training in Integrative psychiatry. Through the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, I was able to gain a new framework for how to approach healing while also earning a distinction in Integrative medicine. As I begin residency, I look forward to exploring my interests in integrative psychiatry, psychedelic medicine, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and addiction psychiatry all within the community setting. Outside of medicine, I love to dance, eat, rhythm skate, travel, and take naps with my Chihuahua son, Wentworth.