Welcome from Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD – Chair
A warm welcome to Penn, the birthplace of Psychiatry!
It is a pleasure to introduce you to the vibrant Department of Psychiatry of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Penn Psychiatry excels in research, education and, providing the most cutting-edge psychiatric care to our patients. Importantly, Penn Psychiatry is devoted to ensuring that we care for our community not only through direct mental health care, but also through civic engagement, advocacy and work to improve public policy relevant to psychiatry.
At Penn Psychiatry, we train the next generation of leaders in patient care and research in just about every area in Psychiatry. In addition to our excellent programs for medical students and residents, we offer a panoply of advanced training programs including multiple research fellowships and tracks (T32s and R25s), clinical fellowships in all ACGME approved subspecialties, Public Psychiatry fellowships, Psychology Internships and more.
The psychiatry research portfolio at Penn, the VA and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is expansive and Penn Psychiatry routinely ranks in the top 5 for NIH funding. The range includes molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric conditions, neurocircuitry, implementation science, neuromodulation, and health policy research, to name a few. There is world class research occurring here across the spectrum of disciplines relevant to psychiatry.
Innovation in clinical services is the hallmark of Penn Psychiatry. Whether it is Penn Integrated Care (PIC), based on the collaborative care model or Mental Health Engagement, Navigation and Delivery (MEND) based on behavioral intervention teams, the outstanding clinical faculty at Penn are constantly devising the best solutions based on evidence to deliver high quality, sustainable psychiatric services. Careful analysis of outcome measures that are both clinical and financial ensure top results for the mental health of the populations we care for in a sustainable manner.
Penn Psychiatry is proud to deliver extensive services across the region in collaboration with our partners at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Lancaster General Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Princeton Hospital. Across the University of Pennsylvania’s Health System, Penn Psychiatry offers inpatient services, partial hospitalization programs, outpatient specialty services, employee assistance programs, and integrated services.
Penn Psychiatry is devoted to realizing its vision of “promoting health for the brain and mind to transform lives and the world.” Please explore our website so you can learn more about the exciting work happening here!
Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD
Ruth Meltzer Professor
Chairman of Psychiatry
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Vision
Promoting health for the brain and mind to transform lives and the world.
Mission
Penn Psychiatry develops and implements new ideas to understand, prevent and treat disorders of the brain and mind, through innovative research and discoveries, outstanding educational programs, world renowned clinical services, and transformational public health policies.
Department of Psychiatry education and training
As part of the nation’s first school of medicine, established in 1765, the Department of Psychiatry at Penn has a rich history, extending back over two centuries.
The mission of the Department of Psychiatry Office of Education is to provide excellence in psychiatric education throughout the entire spectrum of medical training, including medical school, residency, and clinical and research fellowship training. In addition to training future leaders in psychiatry, the department faculty are committed to educating the public and other health professionals about psychiatric disorders and treatment.
The Department sponsors a complete array of educational programs, including University undergraduate education, undergraduate medical education, residency and clinical fellowship training, graduate (Ph.D.) training, post-doctoral research fellowship training, and continuing medical education and public outreach.
Learn more about the department’s programs in each area:
- Medical student education
- Psychiatry residency training
- Post-doctoral clinical and research fellowship training
- Clinical psychology
- Continuing education accreditation
Department of Psychiatry research
The research in the Department is wide-ranging, but several themes connect it. Department researchers draw upon whatever tools are needed to answer their questions, bringing together scientific disciplines and methodologies and tapping the expertise of researchers across Penn’s departments and schools and beyond at other universities and research institutions.
The ultimate goal of this interdisciplinary and interinstitutional effort is to translate science into improved clinical care. It’s a responsibility our faculty take seriously and, as the results show, fulfill expertly.
The Department of Psychiatry is well positioned to advance its scientific goals, which are closely aligned with the NIH Roadmap plan and the Penn Medicine strategic plan for research. The Department’s research programs have achieved national prominence through a blend of laboratory and clinical science and strong interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, inter-School, and external collaborations. The Department of Psychiatry has consistently been ranked among the top five nationally in NIH research support among all psychiatry departments.
Using both human and animal studies, Department investigators are continuously striving to advance our understanding of the pathophysiology of major psychiatric diseases by applying genetic strategies and neurobehavioral and neuropharmacological probes. Our diverse research programs, employing creative research methodologies, are truly ‘translational’ - using the insights gained in the laboratory for the benefit of patients, with the ultimate goal of improving treatments and policy.
For more information, click on a link below: