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Welcome from the Chief Resident

Hello and welcome to Rochester—a city I’ve been happy to call home during my four years in the University’s General Psychiatry Residency Program. I thought you might appreciate a view of the program from my perspective as this year’s chief resident.

During my residency search four years ago, my two basic objectives were to:

  • Find a well-rounded program that would provide me with excellent psychiatric training
  • Make sure the program was in a place where my wife and I would feel comfortable calling “home”

After interviewing with a large number of residency training programs, I ultimately settled on Rochester. Looking back over the past several years, I (we) couldn't be happier with the decision. I think you’ll find that Rochester’s Psychiatric Residency Program has numerous advantages and will satisfy a wide variety of interests.

Comfortable Relationships

Accepting just four residents per year, the small class size creates a real sense of connection within the program. It allows all of the residents to get to know one another. The same is true among the faculty and staff—each resident is clearly known as an individual. The size of the program also means that there is a great deal of flexibility to customize the training experience to match residents' unique interests and goals, often through specialized elective opportunities.

Rochester’s psychiatry residency is unique in regard to the relationship that exists between trainees and faculty. There is a very informal, collegial atmosphere here and many faculty have encouraged me to address them on a first-name basis. Rather than feeling looked down upon, I’ve been consistently respected as a colleague. The faculty here are extremely approachable. They’re happy to take time to discuss a complicated case, offer career advice, or just discuss which festival they attended over the weekend.

Outstanding Faculty

From an academic standpoint, the program is remarkable in its diversity and reputation. As residents, we have the opportunity to work with leading experts in the psychiatric field, including:

  • Dr. Steven Lamberti, recipient of the APA’s  2004 Arnold L. van Ameringen Award
  • Dr. Yeates Conwell, heavily involved in international research on suicide
  • Dr. Robert Ader, who is pioneering work in psychoneuroimmunology.

It’s very exciting when people of this caliber sit down with you on a regular basis to provide teaching and support. In addition, we also have access to psychiatric fellows in geriatrics, child psychiatry, and forensics and regularly receive lectures from other cutting edge clinicians. As trainees, we often collaborate with them on projects.

Solid Clinical Experiences

Rochester psychiatric residents have a number of fantastic clinical opportunities. For instance:

  • We have one of the busiest psychiatric emergency departments in the country. There is a dedicated psych floor on the ER with around-the-clock nursing and social work support
  • Early on, we have the opportunity to work in a forensic inpatient setting
  • One of our training directors recently established a maternal/fetal psychopharmacology consultation clinic for treatment of psychiatric disorders during pregnancy
  • There are elective clinics with deaf populations and the nearby VA clinic

Easy City Living

Outside the hospital, living in Rochester has been very enjoyable. The people here are very welcoming and friendly, and the community has an unexpected level of cultural and ethnic diversity.

Rochester is large enough to provide lots of entertainment options including professional baseball, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. It’s also home to an international music school (part of the University) the International Museum of Photography, and other cultural attractions. Plus, you’ll find all kinds of big-city attractions in Toronto, Canada—just three hours away by car. Outdoor recreation enthusiasts will enjoy Rochester’s many beautiful parks, Lake Ontario, the historic Erie Canal Trail, and many other great resources.

At the same time, Rochester is small enough to make it very easy to get around. And that cost of living is low. Many residents have been able to buy nearby homes and walk to work each day! I live in a suburb that is right on Lake Ontario, yet I still have a short daily commute.

The bottom line? I feel that my psychiatric residency training here in Rochester has been extremely productive, enjoyable, and excellent preparation for wherever my career takes me.

If you decide to visit us and take a closer look at the program, I look forward to meeting and interacting with you, and I welcome the opportunity to answer any questions you may have.

Scott McMahon, M.D.
Chief Resident