Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
The University of Arizona College of Medicine & Phoenix Children’s HospitalChild and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Program Description and Goals
Welcome to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship program at Phoenix Children’s. As Arizona’s only free-standing pediatric hospital and one of the 10 largest hospitals of its kind in the United States, Phoenix Children’s has long been a resource for aspiring physicians in all stages of training.
The program mission is to develop child psychiatrists who are teachers and lifelong learners dedicated to serve their communities, by providing a collaborative and dynamic learning environment with exposure to diverse populations and a comprehensive curriculum with electives to pursue sub-specialization.
Phoenix Children’s provides outpatient, inpatient and consultative services throughout the health system and state. Here, fellows work closely with an integrative team to support patients and grow in the profession.
We aim to provide a comprehensive program that fosters self-directed, compassionate, knowledgeable physicians who come out of training well-equipped to serve the ever-growing mental health needs of children, adolescents and young adults.
Fellows work together with attending staff to provide comprehensive, thoughtful care grounded in evidence-based principles. As child and adolescent psychiatrists, we integrate physical and emotional health and examine the system in which the child lives to provide care that is whole and impactful. We challenge fellows to learn, grow and develop their own practice through robust clinical experience and didactic seminars.
Additional Program Information
Welcome to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, a collaborative program with Phoenix Children’s Hospital! As Arizona’s only free-standing pediatric hospital and one of the 10 largest hospitals of its kind in the United States, Phoenix Children’s has long been a resource for aspiring physicians in all stages of training.
In 2018, after years of teaching, Phoenix Children's embarked on the journey to start its own fellowship. As one of 75 pediatric specialties, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program provides unique opportunities to work with a diverse patient population and be part of an interdisciplinary team. Housed within the renowned Barrow Neurological Institute, the program provides outpatient, inpatient and consultative services throughout the hospital and state; and it aims to provide comprehensive training that fosters self-directed, compassionate, knowledgeable physicians who come out of training well equipped to tackle the ever-growing mental health needs of our society.
The program's faculty have a variety of interests — including maternal-fetal care, early childhood trauma, addictions and urgent psychiatric services. Devoted to teaching and the community, the department provides outreach and education through its Faculty Learning Community, webinars, blogs and presentations at conferences.
The program's fellows work together with attending staff to provide comprehensive, thoughtful care grounded in evidenced based principles. As child and adolescent psychiatrists, the program integrates physical and emotional health. It also examines the system in which the child lives to provide care that is whole and impactful. Through their training, the fellows will learn, grow and develop their own practice through robust clinical experience and didactic seminars. Learn more.
Curriculum
The fellowship is a two-year program designed to prepare providers for pediatric psychiatry practice. The curriculum includes online learning and in-person didactics every Tuesday afternoon. Articles, assignments and links to past Adult and Child PRITE (Psychiatry Resident-In-Training Examination) questions are available for fellows to use as a study guide. Additional curriculum materials are also available to fellows during the training years.
First-Year Curriculum
In the first month, fellows will:
- Get oriented to the health system and inpatient unit.
- Learn the basics, focusing on systems of care in Arizona.
- Be introduced to the inpatient psychiatry Sanctuary model.
- Review mandated reporting requirements.
- Become familiar with psychopathology/treatment to be successful in the inpatient setting.
During the remainder of the year, topics include:
- Psychopathology
- Therapeutic modalities
- Neurodevelopment
- Normal development
- Pharmacology
Specific rotations will also include relevant content. For example, the Consult and Liaison rotation has topics ranging from sickle cell to transplant to delirium. During the Neurology rotation, the curriculum is developed and delivered by the Department of Neurology at Phoenix Children’s.
The remaining year curriculum will include a weekly meeting that will alternate a Case Conference, multidisciplinary Morbidity and Mortality conference (M&M), and Journal Club. This conference series will include all CAP fellows, CAP faculty, and CAP Nurse Practitioners. Didactics for the remaining year may be shared with medical student rotators, resident rotators, and other mental health learners.
In addition to the formal didactic curriculum, there are grand rounds. Barrow Neurological Institute holds weekly grand rounds, which the fellows will be expected to present at once in their first year of fellowship. Phoenix Children’s also has weekly pediatric medical grand rounds, which fellows are encouraged to attend. Fellows are also encouraged to attend Banner University’s weekly adult psychiatry grand rounds. Second year fellows are expected to present at Banner’s adult psychiatry grand rounds as well.
Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in a Faculty Learning Community. This community is aimed at teaching local pediatricians how to diagnose and manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety in youth.
Second-Year Curriculum
The second-year curriculum will continue to build on principles from the first year while incorporating advanced topics, such as:
- Community psychiatry
- Addictions
- Forensics
- Advanced psychopharmacology
- Psychoanalytic principles relevant to child psychiatry
Fellows will also be able to participate in unique clinics to deliver medical-psychiatry care to children with complex needs, including but not limited to:
- 22q deletion syndrome
- Diabetes
- Tourette's
- Developmental delays
- Homeless youth
The second-year curriculum will also include career planning, preparation for board exams and neuropsychological testing.
In addition to formal didactics and clinics, fellows have the opportunity to participate in institutional review board (IRB) meetings and an ethics meetings to gain exposure to more administrative functions. Fellows will be provided dedicated time to complete an advanced scholarly project.
Fellows have opportunities to deliver care outside of Phoenix Children's Hospital - Thomas Campus, including: