Resident Life

About Me: I am Kacy Smith and I’m originally from Texas. I am currently a PGY-4 and Chief Resident at UTHealth Houston. Outside of psychiatry, I enjoy running, spending time with my husband, son, cats, and dog, eating guacamole and chocolate (not together!), and talking about anything Disney World-related.

Why I Chose UTHealth Houston Psychiatry: I chose UTHealth Houston because of the incredible breadth of training opportunities and specifically the inpatient experience. We care for a diverse patient population across a wide variety of clinical settings, which gives residents exposure to nearly every area of psychiatry. I was also drawn to the people – the residents and faculty I met were welcoming, down-to-earth, and genuinely seemed to enjoy working together. As I’ve progressed through residency, I’ve especially appreciated the opportunities to get involved in education, leadership, and projects that allow residents to help shape the program.

Why I Love Houston: Food! There is an incredible variety of restaurants and things to do, while still being an affordable place to live compared with many other major cities. It’s also a great location to travel from – many cruises leave from nearby Galveston and incredible places like Belize, Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas are just a short plane ride away!

Long-Term Plans: I plan to pursue a career in inpatient psychiatry, and hope for opportunities to stay involved in teaching and mentorship

About Me: Hi everyone! My name is Amira Bajracharya and I’m a PGY-1 in psychiatry here at UTHealth Houston. I grew up in Overland Park, KS and moved to Texas for college, where I got my bachelor’s in public health and Spanish at UT Austin. Hook em! I moved to Houston for medical school at McGovern and now I’ll be staying at this great program for residency. In my freetime, I love knitting, finding new matcha spots around Houston, and bringing my film camera everywhere I go to take pictures of my friends and wherever I’m visiting.

Why I Chose UTHealth Houston Psychiatry: Ever since I was a third year med student here rotating through HCPC, I have seen how amazing the residents and faculty are and how much wellness matters to the program! They are all so passionate about mentorship and teaching, and I felt so welcomed with everyone I worked with. Everyone I encountered, faculty or residents, were always ready to answer any questions you had or provide you with career advice. I was also drawn to the high acuity of patients you encounter at HCPC/Dunn, which made me feel like I would get well rounded training during residency to feel confident once I’m practicing by myself.

Why I Love Houston: I have lived in Dallas, Austin, and Houston and can confidently say Houston has been one of my favorite cities to live in Texas. We have some great museums here (shout out to the Natural Sciences Museum) and I love the emphasis on music in the city with there being so many places that do jazz nights, vinyl nights, or DJ sets. What has made my experience living here great though is the diversity and food scene. You can find practically any ethnic cuisine in Houston and it will be so authentic and well done, especially in the Chinatown and Hilcroft area. Highly recommend Momo House (iykyk) for some authentic Nepali cuisine, from a certified Nepali herself!

Long-term Plans: I love working with students and mentoring so I’m hoping to stay within academic psychiatry in the future. Right now, I’m very interested in women’s mental health and reproductive psychiatry and hope to integrate that into my practice. My ideal practice would be working inpatient and have an outpatient continuity clinic a couple times a week.

Resident photo.