Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship
MAHEC is committed to training clinical psychiatrists in becoming proficient in the management of all major psychiatric symptoms and disorders in the medically ill within Western North Carolina. We are excited to help shape the next generation of physicians in consultation-liaison psychiatry.
Our fellowship focuses on the relationship between biopsychosocial factors and medical illness, advanced knowledge of psychopharmacology, and the multiple roles of an interdisciplinary team in the patient's treatment and management plan. Our goal is to provide opportunities, support, and resources to ensure our fellows can excel in their understanding of the dynamics of medical and psychiatric comorbidity, in their ability to manage complex care issues, and in their ability to provide effective consultation to medical and surgical colleagues after graduation.
We are looking for applicants who share our curiosity and enthusiasm for clinical research in this subspecialty, and who are interested in developing teaching skills as well. Our diverse and highly qualified faculty provide fellows with opportunities to care for patients from a variety of populations in many different settings. In addition to working with teams in both hospital and outpatient settings, we offer elective experiences with our palliative care and addiction medicine programs.
We invite you to explore our program, contact us with any questions, and submit your application for consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark Mason, MDDirector, Consultation-Liaison Fellowship
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency Program
MAHEC is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive place to work, learn, and receive care. We actively recruit physicians, staff, and students from underrepresented minorities, and we strive to implement policies and procedures that value and support diverse backgrounds and experiences. MAHEC does not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, spiritual practice, geography, disability, or age.
The didactics curriculum consists of weekly topics in five main categories: consultation-liaison psychiatry, psychodynamics, clinical skills, psychiatric illness in a medical setting, and somatics. Fellows also receive instruction and guidance regarding the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy in the hospital setting. In addition to the optional journal club, case presentations, and conferences of the general psychiatry residency program, the fellows will participate in a consultation-liaison journal club and morbidity/mortality conferences.
Fellows are expected to participate in monthly consultation-liaison case conferences where they will evaluate their care, research available evidence, and offer a group discussion on the care that was provided. Fellows will also participate in quality improvement projects and study systems of care throughout their training. Financial support is available for travel to research-related activities.
PGY5 fellows will spend the majority of their time rotating on the consultation-liaison service at Mission Hospital, with one half day per week dedicated to didactic lecture and case conference, one afternoon per week spent in MAHEC outpatient psychiatry clinic, and one afternoon per week spent doing one-on-one evaluation and research with the program director.
Our outpatient psychiatry clinic, the Center for Psychiatry and Mental Wellness, is housed at UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC along with branch campuses of the UNC School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health program jointly conferred by UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and UNC Asheville.
Our fellowship program is located on the same campus with our dental, family medicine, transitional year, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pharmacy, psychiatry, and surgery residencies, which provides an optimal environment for cross-fertilization of ideas and collaboration.
Applicants must have satisfactorily completed a Psychiatry residency program, have DEA certification, and be eligible to obtain a license to practice medicine in North Carolina through the North Carolina Medical Board. Additionally, applicants will be required to submit:
MAHEC does not directly sponsor residents or fellows that need a J-1 Sponsorship VISA. Non-U.S. citizen applicants needing visa sponsorship must secure this directory from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The ECFMG is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor foreign national physicians for the J-1 Exchange Visitor visa for the purpose of participating in U.S. programs of graduate medical education or training. ECFMG is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a BridgeUSA sponsor for J-1 exchange visitor physicians enrolled in accredited programs of graduate medical education or training, or advanced research programs (involving primarily observation, consultation, teaching, or research). Although many universities and research institutions in the United States are authorized to sponsor exchange visitors as research scholars, ECFMG is the sole sponsor of J-1 physicians in clinical training programs.
Questions regarding VISA Sponsorship should be directed to the GME office at 828-232-2946 or gme@mahec.net.
Ben Vockery
Symone Simmons
Trace Fender, MD
David Freeman, MD
Elena Perea, MD
Ronald Magee, MD