Public Psychiatry Fellowship of Columbia University

The Public Psychiatry Fellowship of New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons was initiated in 1981 with funds from the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH). OMH's goal was to facilitate recruitment and retention of high caliber psychiatrists in the public sector. Ten one-year Fellowships are awarded to young psychiatrists desiring a career in public psychiatry. Fellows spend three days a week working in a public mental health service organization selected as a placement site and two days a week in seminars, supervision and consultation with the Fellowship faculty. Funding for Fellows comes from OMH with support from placement sites.

Published surveys (see links, below) reveal that Fellowship alumni rate their experience in the Fellowship as crucial to their development as public psychiatrists. Almost 95% identify their primary work setting as a public agency (state, federal, CMHC, municipal, public voluntary), and over 80% have academic appointments. The vast majority work essentially full-time at these sites, and 60% have management positions. The survey confirms that the Fellowship fulfills its mandate to train psychiatrists committed to public sector work. The increasing quality and quantity of applicants to the fellowship each year is testimony to the vitality of the commitment of young psychiatrists to actively participate in the shaping and delivery of mental health services in the public sector.

The Fellowship is in the Department of Postgraduate Education of New York State Psychiatric Institute, the headquarters of the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Psychiatric Institute is located at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, the uptown campus of Columbia University in New York City. Field Sites are public mental health organizations located throughout the New York Metropolitan area.
 

Brochure	For a description of the entire program, see our Brochure. Of special interest are sections describing Innovative Aspects of the Fellowship and Programs started and/or run by alumni.
Syllabus	For an up to date description of academic curriculum modules and reading material

An article describing the Fellowship and results of the alumni survey was published in May 1996 (Psychiatric Services 47:512-516, 1996; See abstract ) .

A second article, appearing in the July 1997 issue of Psychiatric Services , reports that based upon a survey of alumni's roles in public agencies, medical directors perform a significantly greater variety of tasks and report significantly greater job satisfaction compared to staff psychiatrists ( Psychiatric Services 48:915-20, 1997; See abstract ) .

A third article,  published in Psychiatric Services in September 1998, further examines the results of the survey of alumni's roles in public agencies. Despite respondents' belief that clinical collaboration activities most contribute to job satisfaction, it is in fact the performance of administrative tasks that are best correlated with overall job satisfaction. Most of the medical directors in the survey had program, rather than agency, level responsibilities. The article concludes that the role of program medical director can serve as a crucial next step for staff psychiatrists, offering the opportunity to perform administrative tasks. (Psychiatric Services 49:1203-7, 1998 See reprint of full article ).

An interview with Dr. Ranz , director of the Fellowship, summarizing the above findings, was published in the September 15th, 2000 issue of Psychiatric News.

On Saturday, March 31st, 2001, the Columbia University Public Psychiatry Fellowship held a reunion to celebrate itâs 20th year. Fifty alumni and faculty members listened to presentations made by the three founders of the Fellowship (first director Chris Beels, second director William McFarlane, and training coordinator Steven Rosenheck) and participated in a discussion of current changes in the role of the psychiatrist in public sector organizations led by the current director, Jules Ranz.

To New York State Psychiatric Institute Home Page
To Department of Psychiatry Home Page

For information about applying to the Fellowship contact Jules Ranz, M.D., Fellowship director (telephone: 212-543-5655, fax: 212-543-6608)

This document was last updated on June 21, 2002