The Research Track Residency Program at the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Written by: Marsal Sanches, MD, PhD, FAPA
The last several decades have witnessed an unprecedented shift in the way medicine, particularly psychiatry, is practiced. Evidence-based medicine, that is, clinical practices based on the most recent research findings, has gradually become the cornerstone of psychiatric practice, in contrast with the traditional empirical and author-guided medical decisions. Paradoxically, however, the number of physicians who dedicate their careers to research does not seem to be keeping up with those changes, with a relatively low rate of physician-scientists compared to the proportion of practitioners primarily dedicated to clinical care. That happens, at least in part, due to the long duration of training physicians have to undergo before being declared able to practice independently. Physicians interested in pursuing a research career would, theoretically, have to wait until the end of their often long residency training periods to be able to start developing the skills necessary for, eventually, securing their own research funds and to develop an independent research career. This puts physicians at a disadvantageous position when compared to researchers from other backgrounds.
Research track residency programs offer residents the opportunity to start their research training much sooner. These programs combine sound clinical training (allowing residents to fulfill the necessary requirements for board certification), with protected time for research-related training and activities.
The Research Track Residency Program at the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences was created in 2014. Residents are assigned a research mentor already during their intern year, based on their specific interests and research background, and are provided with gradual increase in their protected research time as they advance in their careers. Our graduates have been highly successful in the pursue of academic careers following the conclusion of their training and have demonstrated high levels of achievement with regards to publications, presentations at national meetings, and institutional activity.
We invite you to explore our website (https://med.uth.edu/psychiatry/education/research-track-psychiatry-residency-program) and learn more about the program.