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General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Research Track

UT Southwestern Medical Center offers a 6-year combined General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Research Track designed for physicians who aim to build careers as clinician-scientists in child and adolescent psychiatry dedicated to advancing youth mental health. This track brings together full ACGME-accredited training in both General Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry with a structured, longitudinal research curriculum. It builds on UT Southwestern’s growing investment in child and adolescent mental health research, including institutional commitments such as the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) and a diverse faculty with expertise in areas such as interventional psychiatry, computational psychiatry, and translational neuroscience.

Research experiences are integrated throughout training, with increasing depth, independence, and protected time for research across the 6 years. The program offers an environment in which residents can develop strong clinical skills while building a meaningful and sustained research career focused on children, adolescents, and families.

  • Program Structure

    Our 6-year program integrates full clinical training with a structured research experience that develops over time. Early exposure to research gradually transitions into independent scholarly work and preparation for a career development award.

    Clinical training follows a sequential structure:

    • PGY1–PGY3: Core General Psychiatry training with early exposure to research
    • PGY4–PGY5: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry training with expanded research focus
    • PGY6: With up to 80% protected research time in the final, research-intensive year, residents are well positioned to complete and submit an NIH K23 or K08 application and transition into academic faculty roles with strong research support.
  • Application Process

    The application process follows the same pathway as the General Psychiatry Residency and requires the same core application materials.

    Interviews occur over 2 consecutive days and include both research track and categorical residency and fellowship interviews.

    Application Website

    We use ERAS, the Electronic Residency Application Service

    All Application Packages Must Include:

    • Personal Statement
    • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean's Letter)
    • Medical School Transcript
    • USMLE or COMLEX Transcript
    • Three letters of recommendation (at least one from a psychiatrist)
    • CV
    • Photograph
    • ECFMG certificate (for International Medical Graduates only; we routinely sponsor J-1 visas and can discuss with applicants directly if they have specific questions about other visa sponsorship)

    Competitive applications to the research track typically include:

    • A letter of recommendation from a research mentor
    • A personal statement that clearly describes career goals as a psychiatric physician-scientist

    Other Items Needed

    • Medical school diploma
    • Visa documentation (if applicable; only J-1 visas are sponsored)

    Additional Information

    We must receive the completed application before we will interview (we conduct virtual interviews).

    Residents must be eligible to rotate at each of our clinical training sites. Most sites require proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and some sites do not allow exemptions to this requirement.

    GME Policies

    Please note that as part of the application and interview process for a potential residency position in our program, we are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and you would need to meet ACGME requirements for matriculation in our program.

    Upon graduation from our residency training program, most of our graduates seek board certification from either the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. The process of board certification is separate from residency training and has additional requirements. Some board organizations require completion of all your education in an ACGME-accredited residency. Please contact the appropriate certifying board to understand your eligibility for board certification before accepting (if offered) a residency position at our institution

    Sample Contracts, Salaries, Benefits

    For more information or any questions, please contact our education team:

  • Program Experience

    Our program is built around close mentorship, strong clinical training, and early exposure to meaningful research questions in child and adolescent psychiatry. Residents have opportunities to work closely with faculty mentors, participate in ongoing research programs, and develop independent projects that align with their academic interests.

    Our goal is to support residents in building a strong foundation in both clinical care and research, within a community that values curiosity, collaboration, and long-term academic growth.

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