Dean J. Atkinson, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Associate Program Director – General Psychiatry Residency Program
McGovern Medical School
UTHealth Houston
Phone: 713-741-3912
Email: [email protected]
Educational Philosophy:
I have always loved the idea that teaching is exponential in its effect. Within the realm of clinician education, my focus has been on developing and implementing a more interactive approach to clinical teaching and supervision outside of rounds. This has involved creating various educational games and exercises to bolster basic concepts and generate implicit knowledge in a more constructivist style. Learners are encouraged to think creatively, work collaboratively, and to use what they know to get to what they don’t know. I find it deeply gratifying to watch learners bloom into both knowledgeable and adaptable clinicians, including future clinician educators.
Biography:
Dean Atkinson, MD is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, where he serves as an inpatient psychiatrist at the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Campus as a teaching physician for both residents and medical students and as an associate program director for the general psychiatry residency training program.
Education:
Undergraduate –University of Houston, Honors College, Bachelors of Science in Psychology
Medical Degree – University of Houston McGovern Medical School
Residency – University of Texas at Houston McGovern Medical School, Clinician Educator Track
Area of Expertise:
- Psychiatric Interviewing Techniques
- Game-based clinical education tools
- Mood and Psychotic Disorders
Current Teaching Responsibilities:
Medical Students
Medical Coaching Facilitator for MS3 Psychiatry Clerkship, 4 students per session, 4 sessions per 6-week clerkship
MS3 Psychiatry Clerkship clinical supervisor, 1-3 students daily per 3-week rotation
“Mood Disorders 1” – UTHealth McGovern Medical School MS2 Nervous System & Behavior Module, recurrent yearly lecture
“Mood Disorders 2” – UTHealth McGovern Medical School MS2 Nervous System & Behavior Module, recurrent yearly lecture
UTHealth McGovern Medical School MS-2 Preceptorship Program, 6 sessions annually precepting two MS-2 students per academic year
UTHealth McGovern Medical School MS-1 Preceptorship Program, 6 sessions annually precepting two MS-1 students per academic year
Psychiatry Residents
PGY-1 & PGY-2 clinical supervisor, 1-2 residents daily per month during unit coverage at UT-HCPC, 12 months annually
Faculty co-facilitator for HCPC Morning Report, twice weekly. Facilitate discussions of overnight patient admissions and provide brief educational discussions, 1 hour weekly
“N&P 101: Depression” – UTHealth PGY-1 Resident Didactic Series, adapted from National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative, recurrent twice-yearly lecture
Coordinator and facilitator for resident case conference and patient safety conference for PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents, 1 hour per week
ABPN Clinical Skills Verification (CSV) examiner for PGY I-IV residents
“Mental Status Exam and Documentation” – repeating twice yearly lecture for intern-level psychiatry residents
Interview Skills 1-6 – interactive didactic workshop teaching interview skills to intern-level psychiatry residents, six one-hour sessions, twice per year
Director of PGY-1 mentorship program, matching each PGY-1 psychiatry resident with faculty mentors based on shared interests
Refereed Original Articles in Journals:
- Thiessen, G.M., Atkinson, D.J. Psychobabble: A Preliminary Study of the Novel
Educational Game to Teach Psychiatric Interviewing Techniques. Academic
Psychiatry (2024).
Chapters:
- Dean J. Atkinson, Amanda Helminiak (2025). The Psychiatric Interview. In
Marsal Sanches & Jair C. Soares (Ed.), Fundamentals of Clinical Psychiatry
(3-8). Cambridge University Press.
Selected Honors and Awards
2022 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, McGovern Medical School
2022 Innovations in Psychiatry Education Award, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences
2022 Champion of the Clinical Learning Environment Award, McGovern Medical School
2023 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, McGovern Medical School
2023 Champion of the Clinical Learning Environment Award, McGovern Medical School
2024 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, McGovern Medical School
2024 Champion of the Clinical Learning Environment Award, McGovern Medical School
2024 Academy of Master Educators, Member, McGovern Medical School
2025 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, McGovern Medical School
2025 Champion of the Clinical Learning Environment Award, McGovern Medical School
2025 Innovations in Psychiatry Education Award, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences