Learn more about opportunities in Public and Community Psychiatry, including our Public and Community Psychiatry Track, including its unique opportunities and how to apply
Our Public and Community Psychiatry Track, funded by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), is intended for residents dedicated to pursuing training and a career in public and community psychiatry. This immersive track combines specialized clinical rotations, a tailored didactic curriculum, expert supervision, and attentive mentorship. It also provides early career guidance, with protected time and funding to participate in research, scholarship, quality improvement, and educational projects in public and community psychiatry. These unique opportunities are designed to launch residents into successful careers as clinical and academic leaders in public and community mental health.
This track consists of 2 categorical positions (i.e., four years of training) offered through a separate NRMP number (1261400C4) that will allow applicants to rank it as a separate program. Ranking this track does not prevent applicants from ranking the MGH/McLean Adult General Psychiatry Categorical Track and/or the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Track.
PGY-1
The PGY-1 year is the same as the MGH/McLean Adult General Psychiatry Categorical Track. Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track will complete their 5 months of internal medicine at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, alongside 10 of the residents in the Adult General Psychiatry Track.
Training Months* | Clinical Rotation | Rotation Sites | Comparison to Adult General Psychiatry Track |
5 months | Internal Medicine | Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) or MGH | 10 residents in general track complete internal medicine at NWH, 6 at MGH |
2 months | Neurology | MGH Consultation Service | Same |
3 months | Inpatient Psychiatry | MGH Blake 11 Med-Psych Unit | Same |
1 month | Emergency Psychiatry | McLean Clinical Evaluation Center | Same |
1 month | Elective | Same |
*Rotations are not typically consecutive but are instead spread out over the course of the year.
PGY-2
The PGY-2 year differs from the MGH/McLean Adult General Psychiatry Categorical Track by having 2 of the 3.5 months of inpatient psychiatry training occur at sites operated by Massachusetts DMH.
Training Months*^ | Clinical Rotation | Rotation Sites | Comparison to Adult General Psychiatry Track |
4.5 months | Inpatient Psychiatry | McLean Schizophrenia and Bipolar Unit Lemuel Shattuck Hospital | 2 months will be spent at Massachusetts DMH hospitals |
3.5 months | Emergency Psychiatry | MGH Acute Psychiatry Service McLean Clinical Evaluation Center | Same |
1.5 months | Community Psychiatry | Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center | Same |
1 month | Child Psychiatry | McLean Adolescent Partial Hospital | Same |
1 month | Geriatric Psychiatry | McLean Geriatric Psychiatry Service | Same |
0.5 months | Addiction Psychiatry | McLean Addiction Psychiatry Service | Same |
*Rotations are not typically consecutive but are instead spread out over the course of the year.
^ PGY2 also includes a half-day per week of outpatient clinic and electives.
PGY-3
The PGY-3 year differs from the MGH/McLean Adult General Psychiatry Categorical Track by having 1 of the 4 months of consultation-liaison psychiatry training occur at sites operated by Massachusetts DMH, and by having a greater proportion of outpatient training occur in community clinics and early psychosis clinics.
Training Months* | Clinical Rotation | Rotation Sites | Comparison to Adult General Psychiatry Track |
4 months | Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry | MGH Consultation-Liaison Service | 2 months will be spent at a Massachusetts DMH hospital |
12 months | Outpatient Psychiatry | MGH or McLean Outpatient Clinics MGH Community Health Centers MGH or McLean First-Episode and Early Psychosis Clinics | Residents in general track spend 10% time in community sites, residents in community track spend 50% time in a combination of community sites and early psychosis clinics |
4 months | Community Psychiatry | Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center East Boston Counseling Center | Same |
2 months | Correctional Psychiatry | Nashua Street Jail | Same |
2 months | Addiction Psychiatry | McLean Addiction Psychiatry Service | Same |
*Rotations are not full time but rather part-time, longitudinal experiences over the specified time periods.
PGY-4
The PGY-4 year is largely elective other than ongoing training in outpatient psychiatry. Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track may choose from elective experiences in the community or at MGH or McLean.
Training Months* | Clinical Rotation | Rotation Sites | Comparison to Adult General Psychiatry Track |
12 months | Outpatient Psychiatry | MGH or McLean Outpatient Clinics Community Health Centers | Residents will spend a greater proportion of time in community clinics |
12 months | Electives | DMH and Community Sites MGH or McLean | Same |
*Rotations are not full time but rather part-time, longitudinal experiences over the specified time periods.
Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track will share core training experiences with those in the General Adult Psychiatry Track, including rotations at core MGH and McLean sites, participation in the general didactic series, and call experiences. Additional and unique features of the Public and Community Track include:
• Immersive rotations within public mental health facilities and clinical services focused on serious mental illness, such as: inpatient rotation at a public psychiatric hospital; consultation-liaison rotation at a public psychiatric hospital; and outpatient rotation months at first-episode and early psychosis programs at MGH and McLean, as well as DMH-supported clinics
• Advanced public and community psychiatry didactic curriculum focused on public and community psychiatry leadership
• Dedicated funding for mentored academic and scholarly projects
• Longitudinal career mentorship and supervision in public and community psychiatry
PGY-1:
• The PGY-1 year is the same as the MGH/McLean Adult General Psychiatry Categorical Track. Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track will complete their 5 months of internal medicine at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, alongside 10 of the residents in the Adult General Psychiatry Track.
• Residents in this track have the opportunity to participate in a series of dedicated events such as the Public and Community Psychiatry Early Career Mentorship Initiative, the Public and Community Psychiatry Special Interest Group, and the Community and Global Psychiatry Concentration.
PGY-2:
• The PGY-2 year differs from the MGH/McLean Adult General Psychiatry Categorical Track by having 2 of the 3.5 months of inpatient psychiatry training occur at sites operated by Massachusetts DMH.
• Residents in this track can devote their elective time in clinical, academic and scholarly activities related to Public and Community Psychiatry.
PGY-3:
• The PGY-3 year differs from the MGH/McLean Adult General Psychiatry Categorical Track by having 1 of the 4 months of consultation-liaison psychiatry training occur at sites operated by Massachusetts DMH, and by having a greater proportion of outpatient training occur in community clinics and early psychosis clinics.
PGY-4:
• The PGY-4 year is largely elective other than ongoing training in outpatient psychiatry. Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track may choose from elective experiences in the community or at MGH or McLean. In addition, residents can opt to become Public and Community Psychiatry Chief Residents. Residents will have the opportunity to complete the MGH Public and Community Psychiatry Fellowship as part of their fourth year of residency training.
All Years:
• Public and Community Psychiatry Early Career Mentorship Initiative
• Public and Community Psychiatry Special Interest Group
• Dinners with residency and Public and Community Psychiatry Division leadership
• Dedicated mentorship and supervision
• Funding for Resident-led Public and Community Psychiatry Projects
• Teaching in the Public and Community Psychiatry Didactic Series
• Participation in Other MGH/McLean Tracks and Concentrations, including the Community and Global Psychiatry Concentration
• Meetings with the track leadership
• Participate in and present at the MGH Annual Public and Community Psychiatry Symposium, also know as “Public and Community Psychiatry Day”
• Participate in and present at the MGH Department of Mental Health Day
• Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)
• McLean Hospital
• Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH)
• Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
• Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center
• East Boston Counseling Center
• Freedom Trail Clinic
• McLean OnTrack (First-Episode Psychosis)
• MGH Charlestown HealthCare Center
• MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center
• MGH North End Waterfront Health
• MGH Revere HealthCare Center
• MGH Hispanic Psychiatry Clinic
• MGH First-Episode and Early Psychosis Program
• MGH Psychiatry Gender Identity Program
• Nashua Street Jail
• Dimock Health Center
• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP)/MGH Homelessness Clinic
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters
• West End Clinic (MGH Substance Use Disorders Clinic)
• Fenway Health
• Red Sox Foundation and MGH Home Base Program
Public and Community Psychiatry Chief Residency
Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track can apply to become PGY-4 Public and Community Psychiatry Chief Residents and will receive special consideration for the position. In this role, chief residents assume organizational leadership and clinician-educator responsibilities for PGY-2s and PGY-3s during their required community psychiatry rotations. Chief residents provide direct clinical supervision and clinical role-modeling, expose PGY-2s to public and community psychiatry programs (e.g., Southampton Shelter, Center Club, Barbara McInnis House), organize and teach a 6-week rotation-specific didactic series, critically review residents’ write-ups, and participate in resident evaluation. The chiefs also lead the weekly Integrated Care Rounds at the Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center.
Funding for Resident-led Public and Community Psychiatry Projects
The Public and Community Psychiatry Track will offer opportunities to apply for funding of resident-led research, scholarly and quality improvement projects, for up to $20,000 USD per awarded resident.
Teaching
Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track will have the opportunity to participate in curricular design and implementation of residency didactics pertaining to public and community psychiatry.
MGH Public and Community Psychiatry Fellowship
The MGH Division of Public and Community Psychiatry sponsors a PGY-5 fellowship that combines evidence-based clinical care with emphasis on longitudinal treatment, mentorship, peer learning, scholarly work, and immersive leadership training. Fellows are prepared to become leaders in community and public psychiatry. Although the fellowship is designed as a PGY-5 position, residents will have the opportunity to complete this fellowship as part of their fourth year of residency training.
Loan Repayment Program
The Massachusetts Loan Repayment Program (MLRP) provides educational loan repayments as an incentive for health professionals to practice in communities with significant shortages of healthcare providers and barriers to accessing care. Physicians, including residents, are eligible for this program if they provide care in qualifying centers, including those that serve as sites for the Public and Community Psychiatry Track.
Participation in Other MGH/McLean Tracks and Concentrations
Residents in the Public and Community Psychiatry Track will have the opportunity to engage in additional complementary and synergistic residency programs, such as the Global and Community Psychiatry Program, the Physician-Scientist Training Program, the Clinician Educator Program, and the Program in Psychodynamics.
The spirit of fulfilling the social mission of medicine is what drew me to psychiatry – and ultimately to the inaugural Public and Community Psychiatry Track at MGH/McLean. In medical school, I had the privilege of serving patients and interfacing with health systems in diverse environments of New York City, while seeking to translate evidence-based practices to mental health services for people with psychosis in Mozambique. Moving forward, I’m drawn by the prospect of leveraging a career in public service, clinical care, and implementation research to advance programming and policymaking for people with serious mental illness. With support from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), this new track will be instrumental in nurturing my goals within public psychiatry and global mental health, while offering the support and community of like-minded peers and mentors throughout!
– Amir Hassan, MD, Class of 2028
“Driven by my commitment to ensuring equitable access to high-quality mental health services for all, I am honored and excited to join MGH-McLean’s new Public and Community Psychiatry Track! My journey in medicine has been shaped by a desire to understand the complexities of the human mind and a belief in the power of collaboration and community engagement to drive meaningful change. At MGH-McLean, I aim to combine excellent clinical training with rigorous patient-centered research to develop programs that address the psychosocial drivers of mental health and foster resilience within our communities. I look forward to learning from and working with others who share this vision during residency and beyond.”
– Thao Le, MD, PhD, Class of 2028
