Psychiatry Residency
Overview of each training year
The PGY-1 psychiatry internship is designed to solidify core physician identity, knowledge, and skills and to develop competence in key building blocks of psychiatry. For those PGY-1 residents interested in pursuing a child psychiatry fellowship, the Child Interest Track offers the opportunity to exchange 2 months of internal medicine for 2 months of pediatrics and 1 month of neurology for 1 month of child neurology.
The PGY-2 year is designed to develop advanced knowledge and skills in complex psychiatric diagnosis, psychopharmacology, and consultation-liaison psychiatry. The PGY-2 year also includes 3 - 5 months of elective time which provides the opportunity for early exposure to various specialty areas in psychiatry.
The PGY-3 year focuses on outpatient skills and is designed to develop competence in a range of therapeutic modalities including group therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and advanced pharmacotherapy. Evidence-based medicine is taught through a state-of-the curriculum; residents conduct a quality improvement/patient safety project to their own practice and advance their practice-based learning skills.
The PGY-4 year focuses on advancing and unifying all the skills and knowledge acquired in the previous years through leadership, teaching and scholarship. This is often incorporated in being a chief resident. The PGY-4 year also includes ample time for individualized clinical, scholarly, or research experiences that develop special interests, in-depth knowledge, or advanced skills.
Denver Health Medical Center Electives |
| Emergency Psychiatry |
| Forensic Psychiatry |
| Adolescent Psychiatry |
| Integrated Care |
Addiction Psychiatry |
Denver County Jail Psychiatry |
Veteran's Administration Medical Center Electives |
| Geriatric Psychiatry |
| PTSD |
| Neuropsychiatry |
| Tele-psychiatry |
| Interventional Psychiatry |
| University of Colorado Hospital Electives |
Refugee Mental Health |
| Student Mental Health |
| Infectious Disease/ HIV Psychiatry |
| Promise Clinic (Perinatal Mental Health) |
| Integrated Telepsychiatry |
| Imagine LGBTQ+ Clinic |
| ARTS Addiction Psychiatry (Addiction Research and Treatment Services) |
| Bipolar Clinic |
| Integrated Transgender Clinic |
| Women's Behavioral Health Clinic |
| START Clinic (Stress, Trauma, Adversity Research and Treatment) |
| NES (Non-Epileptic Seizures) Clinic |
| New Parent Rotation |
| Community Mental Health Sites |
| Colorado Coalition for the Homeless |
| University of Denver Student Mental Health Clinic |
| Mental Health Center of Denver |
The Wellness Interest Group
This is a faculty led interest group with residents from all years. They meet every two months to discuss resident wellness as it relates to the program.
Julie Wolfe is the faculty sponsor of this group, if you are interested in joining you can reach her @ JULIE.WOLFE@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU
The Psychedelic and Experiential Medicine Interest Group
Psychedelic and experiential medicine have rapidly changing regulatory and cultural landscapes- with ever-increasing investigations, growing use cases, and FDA-approved treatments on the horizon. Psychedelic and experiential medicine hold great promise as therapeutics for an expanding range of mental health conditions, but perhaps more importantly offer a potential paradigm shift in brain health and mental health treatment. These therapies alter foundational constructs by facilitating profound experiences and modulate brain circuitry and networks which are believed to 1) potentiate sustained, positive change in attitudes and values, personality, and mindfulness and 2) reduce suffering due to refractory psychiatric and psychological ailments.
Preeminent medical and academic centers, non-profit organizations, and pioneers of industry are developing sophisticated systems which will provide unique opportunities and careers for those with demonstrated interests and knowledge of this re-emerging, but still nascent field. Moreover, the pursuit of more efficacious treatments, with novel agents and modalities, represents an extraordinarily compelling line of inquiry. Naturally, increasing numbers of researchers and clinicians are seeking training and educational opportunities focused on psychedelic and experiential medicine. Our interest group cultivates a space to critically appraise foundational concepts in this burgeoning field through various scientific, ethical, and political lenses and creates opportunities to expand its boundaries. We facilitate this exploration through a structured reading seminar, expert speaker and panel discussions, participation in novel research, and networking opportunities.
If you are interested in this interest group, please reach out to Micheal Tarver @ MICHEAL.TARVER@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU
Psychiatry Residency Sites
UCH is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus. This beautiful state-of-the-art facility is the tertiary care leader of the Rocky Mountain Region. It embraces a patient-centered philosophy and serves both private and public sectors. Psychiatry Residents rotate through Medicine, Neurology, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and Outpatient Psychiatry along with many other electives at UCH.
DHMC is the urban hospital serving the City and County of Denver. The hospital serves as a regional trauma center serving Colorado and surrounding states. Psychiatry Residents rotate through Medicine, Neurology, Inpatient Psychiatry, Emergency Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and many other electives at Denver Health.
The Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center is the tertiary hospital for VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System. It is a 1.2 million square foot campus, spread over 31 acres, providing Veterans from the Colorado region private inpatient rooms, new services and innovative care. Psychiatry Residents rotate through the VA for Inpatient Psychiatry, Emergency Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Outpatient Psychiatry and many other electives.
Children’s Hospital Colorado is a private, non-profit, tertiary-care pediatric hospital which serves the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado, and the greater Rocky Mountain region.
The Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado provides the highest quality mental health services to children, adolescents and their families. We strive to deliver evidence-based, family-focused and youth-centered services that make a difference. In addition to our cutting-edge clinical services, we are also dedicated to training the next generation of mental health professionals and conducting research to advance the field of child and adolescent mental health.
Our interdisciplinary teams include psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, nurses and creative art therapists who specialize in addressing the unique treatment needs of each and every child and adolescent we serve. We provide a complete continuum of psychiatric services including outpatient, partial hospitalization, inpatient and emergency services for children and adolescents. We treat children from birth to 18 years of age. No matter the challenge, we collaborate with families to promote healthy outcomes.
Scholarly Resident Activity
Zoë Panchal, Christi Piper, Charles Whitmore & Robert D. Davies (2021): Providing supportive transgender mental health care: a systemized narrative review of patient experiences, preferences, and outcomes, Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, DOI: 10.1080/19359705.2021.1899094
Haskins C, Noonan C, MacLehose R, Buchwald D, Manson SM. COVID-19 pandemic effects on emotional health and substance use among urban American Indian and Alaska Native people. Journal of psychosomatic research. Available online 25 June 2023. September 2023;172(111424) doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111424
Racial and ethnic disparities in women's mental health: a narrative synthesis of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the US-based samples. Phimphasone-Brady P, Page CE, Ali DA, Haller HC, Duffy KA.Fertil Steril. 2023 Mar;119(3):364-374. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.01.032. Epub 2023 Jan 23 PMID: 36702342
Maternal Childhood Maltreatment, Internal Working Models, and Perinatal Substance Use: Is There a Role for Hyperkatifeia? A Systematic Review. Olsavsky AK, Chirico I, Ali D, Christensen H, Boggs B, Svete L, Ketcham K, Hutchison K, Zeanah C, Tottenham N, Riggs P, Epperson CN.Subst Abuse. 2023 Jul 18;17:11782218231186371. doi: 10.1177/11782218231186371. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37476500
The Positive Predictive Value of Hospital Discharge Data for Identifying Severe Maternal Morbidity With and Without Blood Transfusion.Fabricant SP, Opara KN, Paul JV, Blissett G, Rau AR, White JD, Girma A, Sriprasert I, Korst LM, Mitchell EN.Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2023 May 26:S1553-7250(23)00118-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2023.05.004. Online ahead of print.
A Descriptive Analysis of the Epidemiology and Motivations for Laser Tattoo Removal in an Underserved Population. Huang S, Blissett G, Pei BA, Balac N, Bogner J, Reilly JM.J Community Health. 2022 Feb;47(1):127-135. doi: 10.1007/s10900-021-01024-w. Epub 2021 Sep 4.PMID: 34480684
The Case of a 34-Year-Old Male Veteran with Suicidal Ideation in the Context of Alcohol Intoxication Colleen Bono 1, Allison Hadley 2, Divy Ravindranath 3, Julie Ruth Owen 4, Scott A Simpson 5
Physical Function and Frailty Tools in Mortality Prediction of Middle-Aged Adults With HIV Regan Pelloquin 1, Mona Abdo 2, Samantha MaWhinney 2, Catherine M Jankowski 3, Kristine M Erlandson 4; J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr . 2020 Nov 1;85(3):372-378. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002455.
Making Patient Care Bilingual: Improving Equitable Access to Patient Care Through Spanish MyChart Patient Portal.Singhal S. Acad Med. 2022 Jun 1;97(6):778. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004484. Epub 2022 May 19.PMID: 34709204
Low Rates of Clinician Monitoring for Second Generation Antipsychotic Medications in Community Pediatric Practice.Singhal S, Billian J, Kloosterman C, Bailey T, Soares N.Community Ment Health J. 2022 Apr;58(3):541-546. doi: 10.1007/s10597-021-00852-3. Epub 2021 May 29.PMID: 34050858
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Reducing Errors in Extracted Electronic Health Record Data for Research.Soares N, Singhal S, Kloosterman C, Bailey T.Perspect Health Inf Manag. 2021 Mar 15;18(Spring):1f. eCollection 2021 Spring.PMID: 34035787
Distinct subpopulations of D1 medium spiny neurons exhibit unique transcriptional responsiveness to cocaine. Phillips RA 3rd, Tuscher JJ, Fitzgerald ND, Wan E, Zipperly ME, Duke CG, Ianov L, Day JJ.Mol Cell Neurosci. 2023 Jun;125:103849. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2023.103849. Epub 2023 Mar 24.PMID: 36965548
Residency Achievements
Contact Us
Department of Psychiatry Residency
13001 E 17th Place
Bldg 500, Rm E2322
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: (303) 724-6021
Fax: (303) 724-4963
Sara Dillard
Program Coordinator
Phone: (303) 724-6019
Email: Sara Dillard
Robert D. Davies, MD
Program Director
Phone: (303) 724-6021
Email: Robert Davies