Division Head's Welcome

Saul Levine, MD
Professor and Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
University of California, San Diego
Chair, Department of Psychiatry Children's Hospital, San Diego

It is with great pleasure that I introduce this brochure which reflects a major thrust forward, an exciting era in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry-and related disciplines-at Children's Hospital and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). In many ways we are tantamount to an entirely new program. With the recruitment of faculty from other major institutions, the establishment of new clinical programs, the embarkation on major research, the inclusion of new seminars, conferences, training and Grand Rounds, and recently, the merger between Children's Hospital and UCSD, we are proud of what we have accomplished in a relatively short time.

We offer a comprehensive range of ambulatory, consultation-liaison, inpatient and school-based programs, and we are by far the largest mental health provider for children and adolescents in San Diego County. We work extremely closely with numerous other hospital and community programs: The Chadwick Center (child abuse); Developmental Evaluation Center and Autism Intervention Center (autism and PDD); Neurology; Behavioral pediatrics; Juvenile Hall and Adolescent Medicine. Our important Latino services program won the Mental Health Program of the Year Award from San Diego County in 2001. The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UCSD also runs a major inpatient hospital for children and adolescents, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services (CAPS). Comprehensive and cutting edge clinical services, teaching and research are pursued in all of our locations.

Children's Hospital is the venue for the only children's mental health services research center in the country: The Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC), sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Our faculty have been beneficiaries of RO1 and K Awards (Career Scientist Development) from the NIMH, and numerous other grants, and contributions to the professional and academic literature.

Our full-time faculty has grown significantly over the past few years, all of who are actively committed to teaching, research, and clinical services. Ellen Heyneman, MD is our Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training Program. We are also indebted to many experienced and esteemed community clinicians in a number of related fields who participate actively in our training programs.

There is an atmosphere of generativity and enthusiasm in our program. We welcome our new Fellows, as well as trainees in all related disciplines, to join us in our endeavors to ensure that this exceptional academic and clinical program continues its major national status and reputation.