Psychiatry Elective Course Description

Uruj Kamal, MD
Contact: Jennifer Hitchcock

Elective Description: The goal of this elective is to expose students to Women's Mental Health, specifically Reproductive Psychiatry, which is the intersection of psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology. The student will spend time with multiple Women’s Mental Health Care providers in different settings in order to learn about the mental health needs of women who are pregnant and postpartum, as well as women with gynecologic issues that overlap psychiatry, including women with premenstrual syndromes, emotional difficulties during perimenopause and women with breast and gynecologic cancers. ther opportunities could be made available based on the student's interests. Also included in this elective is an academic project, which could be a scholarly writing project (e.g., case report) or a presentation on a Women's Mental Health topic of interest to the student. This elective will be 4 weeks in length.

Clinical Experience:

Outpatient Consultation/Treatment – Women’s Mental Health Clinic – Up to two half days/week- one to two new patient consultation write-ups /week expected. Students will also rotate through the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) for Moms (www.mcpapformoms.org) for 1 and ½ days per week. 

Consultation-Liaison Service at Memorial Hospital–Consultation-LiaisonFaculty are available up to two full days/week- two to three completed consultation write-ups /week expected as well as follow up on patients as assigned. This experience will take on Memorial campus and include Ob/Gyn patients as well as general medical and surgical patients. 
 
Reproductive Endocrinology – Students will be exposed to Infertility or Complex Menopause Clinic Ob/Gyn faculty specialized in Reproductive Endocrinology – typically one-half day per elective.
 
Oncology Psychology Consultations - Breast Cancer – Psychiatry Department Faculty specialized in Psycho-Oncology – typically one-half day /week- one consultation /week expected.

Other clinical experiences as possible – Obstetric Social Work, OB Addiction Clinic, Infertility Clinic Health Psychology.

Academic Experience - One full day/week-Supervised by a faculty member – Scholarly Writing Project – a case report or literature review to be presented at either a brown bag seminar, an academic interest group meeting or Women’s Mental Health Division meeting. This will be an informal opportunity for the student to share what she or he has learned.