Message from the Associate Directors

Thank you for taking the time to research our program! As a graduate of the McGovern Psychiatry Residency program, I can tell you first-hand about the growth and development I have seen in our program over time – from didactic restructuring based on resident feedback to organizational policy shifts to promote resident wellbeing. Our program is based in the world’s largest medical center which affords our trainees the opportunity to pursue specialized interests, such as transplant psychiatry at Memorial Hermann and psycho-oncology at MD Anderson, and work with a wide variety patient populations including competency restoration and IOP. I work in inpatient psychiatry alongside my fellow APD Dr. Atkinson at our large stand-alone psychiatric hospital (HCPC and Dunn) where we provide high-acuity care as a safety-net hospital for Harris County. As associate program director, my key areas of interest are ethics and cultural psychiatry, faculty and trainee well-being, strengthening trainee skills and confidence in establishing boundaries, and aiding trainees to become strong clinician educators. We hope to meet you and welcome you to the program soon!

Brandi Karnes, MD

Welcome to Houston! Here at the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences we provide an exciting and diverse training environment, developing and mentoring the next generation of excellent psychiatrists. Our flagship institution is the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Campus, which will comprise the largest academic inpatient psychiatric hospital in the nation. Both as an alumnus of our residency training program and now as an inpatient attending psychiatrist, I am confident that the experience here during the first 2 years of training is not only paramount in terms of educational aspects, but also a rewarding opportunity to provide the best care possible for all patients who come through our doors.  As an associate program director, I focus on the Inpatient Psychiatry training at the Behavioral Sciences Campus, curriculum development, clinician education, and promoting a welcoming and safe learning environment for all trainees to grow and realize their full potential as the psychiatrists of the future.

Dean Atkinson, MD