Psychiatry Residency
Mission & Vision
Our mission is not only to train excellent psychiatrists for the increasing demand in the community, but also to foster the growth of future leaders in research and clinical psychiatry. In order to meet these goals, residents in our training program acquire the most advanced knowledge in areas of molecular neurobiology, genetics, brain imaging, epidemiology, pharmacogenomics, psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. We believe that, along with the rapid advances in psychopharmacologic treatment, there will always be a fundamental need for psychotherapy in dealing with mental illness.
We prepare residents to become recognized leaders in the field by training them to lead and direct multidisciplinary treatment teams while working with a broad and diverse group of patients. As the key investment in the professional life of a physician, residency education is the time to ensure a bright future, made possible through the training opportunities available at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and affiliated hospitals.
Mission & Vision
Our mission is not only to train excellent psychiatrists for the increasing demand in the community, but also to foster the growth of future leaders in research and clinical psychiatry. In order to meet these goals, residents in our training program acquire the most advanced knowledge in areas of molecular neurobiology, genetics, brain imaging, epidemiology, pharmacogenomics, psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. We believe that, along with the rapid advances in psychopharmacologic treatment, there will always be a fundamental need for psychotherapy in dealing with mental illness.
We prepare residents to become recognized leaders in the field by training them to lead and direct multidisciplinary treatment teams while working with a broad and diverse group of patients. As the key investment in the professional life of a physician, residency education is the time to ensure a bright future, made possible through the training opportunities available at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and affiliated hospitals.
Program Director’s Welcome
Thank you for your interest in the University of Miami/Jackson Health System Psychiatric Residency Training Program. Physicians who choose to specialize in psychiatry will enter an exciting and dynamic field in which advances in neurobiology and psychotherapy are continuously increasing our understanding of brain and behavior. Residents training at Jackson Memorial Hospital will receive the benefit of learning at one of the busiest and largest teaching hospitals in the country under the supervision of world-class clinical attendings.
We offer a four-year, accredited program, as well as a three-year option for residents who join us after their internship year. We seek residents from a variety of backgrounds who wish to pursue a wide range of interests in psychiatry, including research, teaching, administration or clinical careers. Our residents are mentored and taught by our world-class faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UM Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
Our residency program offers excellent clinical training as well as opportunities to develop as a researcher, educator or academician. As a result of innovative research in psychiatry, exciting advances in knowledge are emerging that directly impact clinical care. Specialty tracks are available in research and psychotherapy. If you have a particular interest, please indicate this at the time of your application or at your interview.
– Vanessa Padilla, MD
Program Director’s Welcome
Thank you for your interest in the University of Miami/Jackson Health System Psychiatric Residency Training Program. Physicians who choose to specialize in psychiatry will enter an exciting and dynamic field in which advances in neurobiology and psychotherapy are continuously increasing our understanding of brain and behavior. Residents training at Jackson Memorial Hospital will receive the benefit of learning at one of the busiest and largest teaching hospitals in the country under the supervision of world-class clinical attendings.
We offer a four-year, accredited program, as well as a three-year option for residents who join us after their internship year. We seek residents from a variety of backgrounds who wish to pursue a wide range of interests in psychiatry, including research, teaching, administration or clinical careers. Our residents are mentored and taught by our world-class faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UM Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
Our residency program offers excellent clinical training as well as opportunities to develop as a researcher, educator or academician. As a result of innovative research in psychiatry, exciting advances in knowledge are emerging that directly impact clinical care. Specialty tracks are available in research and psychotherapy. If you have a particular interest, please indicate this at the time of your application or at your interview.
– Vanessa Padilla, MD
Fast Facts
Accreditation
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Number of Residents per Year?
14 to 16
Duration of Residency?
4 years
Program Curriculum
Year 1
In the first year, 6 four-week blocks consist of rotations in medicine (1 block of inpatient medicine, 3 blocks of outpatient medicine, and 2 blocks of neurology). The remaining 7 blocks include inpatient-based psychiatry rotations and community-focused crisis intervention. Several hours each week are set aside for didactic learning activities including lectures, seminars, and case conferences. Demonstrations and departmental scientific meetings are also included. Clinical activity on the inpatient services is under direct supervision of attendings assigned to the unit. Training is designed to give the resident a working knowledge of evaluation, diagnostic, and therapeutic techniques utilized in psychiatry. A high degree of individual supervision, plus the didactic program, forms the nucleus of this first year, during which emphasis is placed on quality patient care.
Year 2
In the second year, residents continue to have their hospital-based inpatient psychiatry rotations with specialized experiences in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, Psycho-oncology, Addiction Psychiatry, and Geriatric Psychiatry. One half-day per week of outpatient psychotherapy clinic is available during this level of training. Five hours each week are devoted to protected didactic activities and the rest to clinical experience.
Year 3
The resident experience in psychiatry during the third-year concentrates on the outpatient experience. The assignment pattern is full time with two days a week in Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital and two days at the Miami VA Medical Center. An additional half day is available for supervision and ongoing psychotherapy patients. The remaining half day is protected for didactic activities.
Year 4
The fourth year is devoted to experiencing advanced treatment and research, as well as a continued outpatient experience. Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami Hospital, and Veterans Administration Clinics, account for the resident’s weekly clinical schedule alternating over the year. Research time is protected for 1.5 months in addition to a half day of research each week. Residents choose 7 blocks of elective time in addition to at least 1 block as a junior attending on a psychiatry service of their choice. Required 4th year rotations include emergency psychiatry and CL over 4.5 blocks. A half day is provided for supervision and ongoing psychotherapy patients. The remaining half day is protected for didactic activities. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship can begin in the fourth year.
Your Faculty
Mousa Botros, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
Psychiatry Clerkship Director
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Miami – Miller School of Medicine
Barbara J. Coffey, MD, MS
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Edmi Y. Cortes Torres, MD
Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychiatry
Associate Director, Psychiatry Residency Training
Elizabeth Crocco, MD
Associate Professor, Clinical Psychiatry
Chief, Geriatric Psychiatry
Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program Training
Medical Director, University of Miami Memory Disorders Clinic
Dante Durand, MD, MBA
Director of Clinical Services
Associate Program Director, Psychiatry Residency
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Medical Director, Adult Outpatient Clinic
Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital
Spencer Eth, MD
Chief, Mental Health, Miami VA Healthcare System
Professor and Director, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program & Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Vanessa L. Padilla, MD
Assistant Professor, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Psychiatry Residency Program Director
Department of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Radu V. Saveanu, MD
Professor and Executive Vice-Chair
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Suchitra Joshi, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Program Director of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital
David Martinez Garza, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
Associate Training Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Dhruti Patel, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Miller School of Medicine
University of Miami Health System
Luminita Luca, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Alumni Placements Include:
Addiction Psychiatry
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Brown University
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Medical University of South Carolina
New York University
Thomas Jefferson University
University of Texas at Dallas
Consultation Liaison Psychiatry
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Forensic Psychiatry
Jackson Memorial Hospital
University of Pennsylvania
Geriatric Psychiatry
Baylor College of Medicine
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Stanford University
Pain Management Fellowship
Jackson Memorial Hospital/UM, Department of Anesthesiology
Public Services Psychiatry Fellowship
University of Pennsylvania
Alumni Placements Include:
Addiction Psychiatry
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Brown University
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Medical University of South Carolina
New York University
Thomas Jefferson University
University of Texas at Dallas
Consultation Liaison Psychiatry
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Forensic Psychiatry
Jackson Memorial Hospital
University of Pennsylvania
Geriatric Psychiatry
Baylor College of Medicine
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Stanford University
Pain Management Fellowship
Jackson Memorial Hospital/UM, Department of Anesthesiology
Public Services Psychiatry Fellowship
University of Pennsylvania
A Day in the Life of a Psychiatry Resident
6 am and the alarm goes off. It’s time to get ready for another day! This year I’m excited because I am a PGY2, and the rotations have become more specialized. As I’m getting ready, I am looking forward to work, thinking about all the new pathology I’ll be exposed to during the day.
Read MoreA Day in the Life of a Psychiatry Resident
7 a.m.: First stop, the inpatient psychiatric unit at the VA to help the new interns with their interview skills, documentation, and of course, moral support. Nursing report – check. Now we round. Psychiatry is a completely different world from the surrounding units. Our patients aren’t lying in bed hooked to an IV.
Read More