About the Program

The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has a close relationship with the UMass Department of Pediatrics, significantly enhancing the quality of the pediatric consultation-liaison and infant/preschool psychiatry experiences. Specialty experiences occur in a variety of nearby community settings, including day care, schools, courts, and juvenile corrections. 

The residency in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is strongly supported by the Department of Psychiatry and UMass Memorial Health Care, its clinical partner. Resident salaries are very competitive with other programs and include an excellent benefits package. All the clinical rotations are carefully chosen to maximize educational value to our fellows, rather than to fill clinical service needs. 

The program emphasizes direct observation in the training process, both of residents by faculty and faculty by residents. This is accomplished by the use of one-way mirrors and direct observation. The ratio of child psychiatry department supervisors to fellows is approximately 10:1. The Division's (and Department's) overall theoretical orientation is deliberately eclectic, using a culturally competent biopsychosocial model. Numerous opportunities exist for residents to teach and supervise medical students, general psychiatry residents, and pediatric residents. 

Elective time is allocated for the pursuit of individual interests. The program emphasizes the development of administrative and leadership skills in the PGY-5 year. The four primary research centers at UMass are the Child and Adolescent Neurodevelopment Initiative, the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, the Shriver Center, and the Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center (iSPARC). Research may be done within one of those centers or with a selected mentor. Residents may choose to do a project under the supervision of a mentor from outside the Department of Psychiatry.