Fellowship in Public Service Psychiatry

 

CPSP offers a one-year fellowship in Public Service Psychiatry.  Early career psychiatrists and residents in their last year of training are eligible.  Graduated psychiatrists in subspecialty fellowships may participate in a hybrid arrangement as well.   Applicants must have completed or currently be completing an ACGME approved psychiatry residency and must have passed USMLE STEP 3.  For early career psychiatrists, the fellowship serves as an advanced training opportunity for those who are employed full time in community setting. This one year fellowship is also available to candidates outside Western Pennsylvania who would like to participate virtually.  UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital provides an environment that is rich in clinical research and teaching opportunities.  The fellowship offers a comprehensive educational experience in community psychiatry, broadly based in understanding multiple levels of care and the leadership contributions of community psychiatrists. The fellowship is focused on leadership, advocacy, population health and recovery-oriented systems of care.  Seminars, mentoring, and supervision provide a unique and comprehensive professional opportunity, especially well-suited for individuals whose interests in public service psychiatry include administration, education, and advocacy.

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital provides an environment that is rich in clinical research and teaching opportunities.  The fellowship offers a comprehensive educational experience in community psychiatry, broadly based in understanding multiple levels of care and the leadership contributions of community psychiatrists. The fellowship is focused on leadership, advocacy, population health and recovery-oriented systems of care.  Seminars, mentoring, and supervision provide a unique and comprehensive professional opportunity, especially well-suited for individuals whose interests in public service psychiatry include administration, education, and advocacy.

CPSP Fellowship Description – 7-16-21

Application for Psychiatric Postgraduate Education

Curriculum Content

Each week the CPSP fellow participates in a 4-hour seminar program.  The seminar meets on Thursday mornings from 9 am – 1pm.  The Fellow collaborates with CPSP faculty in leading the discussions each week.  Three 70 minute sessions are scheduled each week.

2023-2024-SEMINAR-SCHEDULE-03-14-24

Syllabus/Bibliography

CPSP Fellowship Brochure

 

Living and Working in Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh has been voted “America’s Most Livable City” by both “Places Rated Almanac” and “The Economist.” It is a city of great vitality and variety. The renaissance in recent times has made it safe, clean and fun. With a wealth of affordable housing options it is one of the nation’s most diverse architectural communities.

Nestled in the Allegheny Mountains at the confluence of three major rivers, the “City of Bridges” abounds in natural beauty, with many parks and recreational sites.Pittsburgh is a city where all young professionals can find a lifestyle that best fits their needs. Within walking or short driving distances, there are many parks, hiking trails, water sports, microbreweries, restaurants, clubs and quaint stores.

As a center for culture and the arts, Pittsburgh is second-to-none for a city its size. For sports fans, the city offers the thrill of three professional sports teams — Steelers football, Penguins hockey, and Pirates baseball.

The city is the site of many major corporate headquarters, yet retains its small-town friendliness. Ethnically rich, Pittsburgh has retained its neighborhoods and small communities with surprises everywhere.

 

 

Community Psychiatry in Western Pennsylvania

The rich tradition of community psychiatry in the City of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania dates back to the Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1963. At that time our Department was led by the late Jack Wolford, MD, one of the icons of community psychiatry in this country. He served as the voice of public psychiatry throughout the latter part of the 20th century.

That tradition continues. The core faculty of the Center has a wealth of experience providing care to diverse populations in a variety of community and public sector settings. Several faculty members have had prominent roles in planning system transformation efforts at the County, State, and Federal levels of administration. There are also strong ties to professional and advocacy organizations such as the American Association of Community Psychiatrists and the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Leadership Council.

The minimization of the use of highly restrictive residential settings has been part of the region’s culture for some time, particularly after the closing of the State Hospital serving this area in 2010.  This arrangement offers a unique opportunity for fellows to see how community based services work for people with severe mental illnesses from both clinical and administrative perspectives.

 

 

The Training Environment

The University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry offers an extremely rich academic and clinical environment to the Center for Public Service Psychiatry. For more than 40 years, the Department of Psychiatry has been a national leader in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of mental health and addictive disorders.

Over the past 15 years, the Department of Psychiatry and its community partners have contributed to the growth of Public Psychiatry and the vision of a recovery- based approach to mental health.

For many years Allegheny County has benefited from innovations in community based behavioral health services. A rich network of both rural and urban providers, together with the Department of Psychiatry, has created nationally recognized services to provide care for homeless, forensic, and substance using populations.

The region’s tradition of consumer provider collaboration has been strengthened in recent years with the establishment of the Allegheny County Coalition for Recovery (ACCR), a grassroots organization of stakeholders in behavioral health services that is focused on system transformation. ACCR is recognized across the state and the Nation and receives substantial credit for the recognition that Allegheny County has received as a national leader in progressive thinking about recovery-oriented care.