Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Research
An important feature of the program is its commitment to providing exposure to research methodologies and opportunities for research experience during the second year of residency. Our program is enriched by our links with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in nearby Bethesda, MD, whose faculty facilitate a monthly journal club that allows for exposure to evidence-based treatment approaches and new discoveries in clinical neuroscience. Fellows interested in more in-depth research experience are mentored by faculty members actively involved in research and supported by the program with protected time in the second year to participate in a focused project.
Children’s National faculty members are involved in a broad range of research endeavors from basic and translational to clinical and epidemiologic, and fellows can choose extra time in clinical or research electives during their second year. The research interests of the psychiatry faculty are enhanced and expanded by our close collaboration and relationships with our psychology faculty and neuropsychology faculty, who have also welcomed our fellows’ engagement in their clinical and research endeavors.
CNMC/NIMH Combined Track:
In collaboration with the NIMH Intramural Research Program (IRP), we also offer a three-year combined clinical and research fellowship for qualified applicants. Fellows in this ACGME-approved program share time between both sites to obtain excellent training in both clinical care and research. The goals are to recruit and train outstanding psychiatrists in the diagnosis, treatment and clinical management of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, and to provide trainees with a mentorship-driven focused research experience that encourages the pursuit of a career in academic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. One to two positions are available each year.
CNMC and NIMH will provide a total of three years of training with the intent to meet the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements and qualify residents/fellows for Board eligibility in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. During the first year, fellows will spend 100% time in clinical training at CNMC and follow the general training program for the first year at CNMC. During year 2, clinical training will be comprised of 60% time at NIMH and 40% time at CNMC. Clinical work at both CNMC and NIMH will be supervised by Board eligible/certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists. During year 3, research training will be conducted entirely at the NIMH with designated mentor(s) and/or with research collaborators at CNMC.
Fellows who follow the above course will have completed their training requirements to be board eligible in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry by the end of their second year of training. The teaching and formal evaluation of the fellows will be supervised jointly by the Residency Training Directors at CNMC and NIMH. Participants in the Combined Program are employed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are considered Federal Employees and are appointed as NIMH Clinical Fellows for the duration of their Fellowships. Salaries will be determined by the NIMH and will be consistent with guidelines provided in the DIRP Table of Salaries for Clinical Fellows.
To Apply for the Joint Position:
- Applicants complete the CNMC application process and indicate their interest in the joint program by sending an email to Abby Ralph at aralph@childrensnational.org. Applicants may apply to both the general fellowship program and the CNMC/NIMH combined program. Application materials are all sent to CNMC.
- Applicants are encouraged to identify potential mentors at NIMH in their areas of interest as they prepare their application. A list of current research programs available at NIMH can be accessed here. Mentors do not necessarily need to be in the Child Psychiatry Branch but fellows are encouraged to select projects with a developmental or pediatric focus.
- Faculty at CNMC and NIMH review applications and select candidates for interviews for the program. Interviews will be conducted by potential mentors and key faculty at both institutions, typically with a day of interviews at each institution.
- Decisions about appointment offers will be made jointly between CNMC and NIMH/IRP staff. Offers will generally be extended prior to the match deadline, so that applicants may choose whether or not to proceed with certifying a rank order list for other training programs.
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