Message from our Chair
Dr. Zafiris J. Daskalakis

It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry.

The Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego is world-class. Our mission "is to advance and transform behavioral health through groundbreaking research, compassionate patient care, and renowned education."

UC San Diego Psychiatry faculty provide exceptional clinical care, cutting-edge research and educational excellence, contributing to a culture of tremendous ingenuity and creativity. Innovations from our Psychiatry faculty have transformed our field. Among US Psychiatry Programs, UC San Diego ranks as one of the top Departments of Psychiatry in NIH funding. Psychiatry's considerable clinical expertise includes robust programs in inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs, and thriving specialty programs in Interventional Psychiatry, Eating Disorders, TeleMental Health, College Mental Health, Geriatrics, Women's Mental Health, Early-Onset Psychosis, Addiction, Post-Traumatic Stress, and Chronic Pain.

Trainees in the Department benefit tremendously from a multidisciplinary environment and diverse training experiences. Our Department is home to over 350 trainees, including graduate students, interns, residents and post-doctoral fellows, in addition to numerous undergraduate and medical students. We offer unique research and clinical training in diverse methods and applications, including molecular, systems and behavioral neurosciences, psychiatric genetics, psychopharmacology, neuropsychology, mental health technology, and implementation sciences. Residency Training offers tracks in Adult Psychiatry, Community Psychiatry, and Research. Department research training programs are supported by NIH and the Veterans Administration; our 16 different Fellowship training programs include 4 ACGME-accredited fellowships in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, and Geriatric Psychiatry, along with Community Psychiatry, Eating Disorders, Interventional Psychiatry and many other fellowship training programs.

Our Department thrives within the dynamic scientific and clinical environment at UC San Diego. Psychiatry faculty and trainees are housed within UC San Diego Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, and Rady Children's Hospital, collaborating broadly with investigators in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS), Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health (HWSPH), and Jacobs School of Engineering, as well as affiliated institutes including Scripps Research Institute and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. We have close links with San Diego State University through our UCSD/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, and with San Diego County Agencies (e.g., Health and Human Services Agency) and the California State Government (e.g., Division of Health Services and Department of Corrections).

Our Department is leading efforts to fight mental health stigma, combat racism, and advance key social initiatives aimed at improving faculty and trainee diversity, inclusivity, and equitable access to care.

As Chair of Psychiatry at UC San Diego, I strive to promote clinical and research innovation, equity and access to care, and sustain excellence in our dynamic training environment. We are expanding our collaborative research networks, expanding and delivering advanced behavioral health care that is measurement-based and multidisciplinary. Our efforts are leading to stronger mental health advocacy, better patient outcomes, improved service access and vital opportunities for destination, world-class and innovative clinical research.

This is the most exciting time to practice, investigate and advance our field of Psychiatry, and there is no better place to do this than within our UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry! On behalf of our over 1,500 faculty, staff and trainees, it is my pleasure to extend warmest greetings to you all.

Zafiris "Jeff" Daskalakis, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP(C)
Dr. Igor and JoAnn Grant Endowed Chair
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry 
School of Medicine
UC San Diego Health Sciences