Welcome to the UCSD Interventional Psychiatry Fellowship Program

The UC San Diego Interventional Psychiatry team is pleased to introduce a new Interventional Psychiatry fellowship Program. This one-year, non-ACGME accredited fellowship provides trainees with the knowledge and skills necessary for a successful and rewarding career as interventional psychiatrists in a supportive and collegial setting. This program utilizes our outstanding faculty with clinical and research expertise, and educational opportunities found at UCSD, to help trainees hone their skills and abilities in cutting edge psychiatric treatment techniques.

Program Overview

The UCSD Health System is a large multi-specialty academic medical center that is experiencing tremendous growth in its Clinical Psychiatry Division. Interventional Psychiatry is a rapidly evolving clinical subspecialty of psychiatry that includes device-based neuromodulation therapies (e.g., repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation [rTMS], magnetic seizure therapy [MST] and electroconvulsive therapy [ECT]) and novel pharmacological approaches (e.g, intranasal esketamine, IV ketamine, and psilocybin) for the treatments of refractory psychiatric disorders, such as treatment-resistant mood and psychotic disorders, across the lifespan. Despite its growing relevance, there are limited paths for clinicians to train in this highly specialized space. The UCSD Interventional Psychiatry Clinic service began in 2021 and continues to rapidly grow, with significant interest from many resident, and other trainees. This fellowship creates an educational foundation for the next generation of Interventional Psychiatry leaders and it is open to psychiatry residents who have fulfilled their ACGME requirements. 

Curriculum

This one-year fellowship is designed to provide trainees with in-depth training in the clinical application of rTMS and ECT. A primary clinical focus is developing skills as an expert consultant in assessing patients’ suitability for these treatments and following patients through their pathway of treatment. In addition, fellows will develop expertise in novel emerging modalities such as MST, as well as relevant non-device modalities such as ketamine treatment and psychedelic medicines. Clinic and research activities are overlapping in the Interventional Psychiatry program, and fellows will be exposed to both. Each fellow’s training program is individually tailored to meet the needs and interests of the candidate in addition to basic training in all modalities. Overall, the pillars of training in this program include clinical exposure, didactic sessions, research, and teaching.  

Given the nature of Interventional Psychiatry and device-based treatments, the majority of instructional methods will be hands-on. Fellows will work closely with faculty and staff to gain the technical skills necessary to effectively perform procedures described above. 

Fellows will also have access to a broad range of multidisciplinary educational events within the Department of Psychiatry, and through other departments at UCSD. Fellows will be given regular opportunities to be involved in the teaching of medical students and psychiatry residents both in clinical and classroom settings. 

Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in the planning and conduct of clinical trials. They will have a role in the recruitment and retention of research subjects, as well as follow-up assessments. Opportunities to participate in systematic reviews and secondary analyses of clinical trial data will also be available to fellows. Fellows will be encouraged and supported in developing a circumscribed independent research project that can be extended beyond the one year of training.

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Faculty and Staff

This fellowship program is led by co-directors Dr. Xia Li (MD, PhD; Education Lead) and Dr. Cory Weissman (MD; Medical Director), and is under the supervision of Department chair, Dr. Zafiris Daskalakis (MD, PhD), an internationally recognized expert in treating severe psychiatric disorders with novel brain stimulation therapies. Dr. Daskalakis has a strong history of leading research involving broad collaborations with numerous experts in the field of Interventional Psychiatry across the world. The Interventional Psychiatry program consists of a strong team with an adequate number of faculty/physicians who have extensive experiences in Interventional Psychiatry, and who play a vital role in supervising clinical activities. Other faculty members include Dr. Steve Huege (MD, MSEd); Dr. Michael Fitzgerald (MD); and Dr. Alejandro Meruelo (MD, PhD).

Salary and Benefits

Salary Scale

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Benefits

• Additional stipends: $500/year educational, $5,800/year housing, $810 for initial licensing.
• Health, dental, vision insurance for fellow and dependents at no cost.
• Disability and malpractice insurance provided by UC San Diego. 
• 20 Days of paid vacation each year, with additional paid educational days.
• Leave for illness, family medical emergencies, maternity/paternity per UC San Diego Internal Medicine House Staff Manual upon Program Director's approval.
• White lab coats and laundry services.
• Access to the library resources of UCSD and the VA Medical Center onsite and via internet from offsite.
• Access to UC San Diego recreational facilities including large indoor and outdoor swimming pools and the SDSU/UCSD Mission Bay Aquatic Center.

More Information

More detailed information regarding leave policy, professional liability insurance, health insurance, living quarters, on-call meals, uniform and uniform laundering, and visa requirements is provided in the UC San Diego Medical Center Terms and Conditions of Appointment on the Office of Graduate Medical Education web site.

How to apply

To apply, candidates are required to submit:

• CV
• One-page personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation (one of which must be from their Program Director). *Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to our program
• Completed UCSD Post-Graduate Medical Training Application
• Copy of medical school transcript

Please send all materials to: 

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