Message from the Director

Taiwo Babatope, MD, MPH, MBAThank you for your interest in the Combined Adult and Child Psychiatry Track Program at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

The Child and Adult Psychiatry Combined Track allows applicants to match at the same time into both the McGovern Adult and Child/Adolescent Psychiatry training programs simultaneously. This “fast tracking” results in the completion of both Adult and Child/Adolescent training in a total of 5 years.

Residents in the combined track program will be able to complete up to two months of primary care requirements in family medicine and pediatric neurology experiences in their intern year, thereby fulfilling ACGME requirements for both the general psychiatry residency and child psychiatry fellowship training. In addition, our program offers third-year residents the opportunity to join the child and adolescent fellows in providing supervised psychotropic and therapeutic services to pediatric population in the year-long child psychiatry fellowship outpatient continuity clinic located at the UT Physicians Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic- Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building (BBSB).

Since the creation of this track in 2014, we have observed that earlier and additional exposure to child psychiatry experiences provides a solid foundation to build upon as trainees transition into their child psychiatry fellowship training in various specialty services. Mentorship from faculty members with varied expertise is available and remains the cornerstone of our training program. Residents in this track can work with child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology mentors to pursue identified interests, participate in active child mental health related research projects and public funded initiatives available at the department.

Our graduates have gone on to work in academia, leadership and administrative roles, community, public psychiatry and telepsychiatry practices both locally and nationally. As a graduate of the combined track myself, I can attest to the quality of mentorship and training received in both the adult and child psychiatry programs.

The UT Health Houston Combined Adult and Child Psychiatry Track Program has the advantage of being located at the heart of the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical complex. I hope to continually take advantage of the breadth of experiences available and provide unwavering support to trainees as they map out fulfilling careers.

Taiwo Babatope, MD, MPH, MBA.