Research Track
UT Southwestern has made an institution-wide commitment to training research-oriented residents, and we share that commitment with enthusiasm for training the next generation of psychiatrist-scientists. Our research track, Translational Research Activities in Neuropsychiatry (TRAIN), is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and designed to allow flexibility for residents to develop and implement translational research projects. TRAIN residents have protected time for completion of mentored research projects and engage in research track specific didactics.
With our diverse and extensive faculty, we are uniquely positioned to prepare residents for successful academic research careers. Our close connections with many other departments in provide the framework for a variety of areas of scientific investigation.
“UTSW psychiatry stood out immediately in my residency search as few programs matched its commitment to protected research time. This promise has held up. My research advisor and chair of our department, Dr. Rajji, has been a passionate, encouraging mentor who has pushed me to develop as a scientist and clinician. And beyond the lab, I’ve felt incredibly supported by my co-residents and administrators. Dr. dela Cruz and Dr. Brenner nominated me for the NIMH Outstanding Resident Award, which I went on to receive. DFW has also been a wonderful place to live, with everything I could hope for in a city while being incredibly affordable.”
- Track Highlights
The R25 supports 40% protected research time in PGY2 and 50% in PGY3 and PGY4.
Didactics are provided by TRAIN faculty, Psychiatry faculty, and O’Donnell Brain Institute faculty through the Center for Translational Medicine and other venues upon approval.
The following scheduling information is a general guide; flexibility is allowed and, in fact, essential to ensure you fulfill all the requirements for general residency as well as the research track. Discuss and plan as early as possible to ensure you can easily accommodate all requirements.
PGY1 months 2-9, Individual meetings with TRAIN Director:
- Discussions about research interest(s) and potential mentor(s)
- Facilitation of meetings with potential mentors
PGYs 2-4, Regular meetings with mentor(s) to facilitate:
- Choosing and designing a mentored research project
- Preparing a research portfolio
- Overcoming obstacles related to conducting projects
- Organizing and analyzing data
- Developing first-authored manuscripts, one based on a literature review related to the resident’s project or a secondary analysis of the Research Mentor’s data and another based on findings of the mentored project
- Faculty Mentors
- Application Process
The research track's application process is identical to the General Residency Program, via ERAS, and has the same required elements.
Strong applications to the research track will include (1) a letter of recommendation from a research mentor and (2) a discussion of their career goals as a psychiatric physician-scientist.
Interviews for the research track occur over 2 consecutive days and includes an interview for the categorical program.
- Current Residents
PGY 1
Onur Memetoglu, M.D.
Undergraduate: Koc Universitesi
Medical School: Koc Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Arash Rahmani, M.D.
Undergraduate: Payam Noor University
Medical School: Iran University of Medical Sciences School of MedicinePGY 2
Elif Ozan, M.D.
Undergraduate and Medical School: Istanbul Universitesi, Cerrahpasa Tip Fakultesi
PGY 3
Dhruba Banerjee, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley
Graduate and Medical School: University of California, Irvine
Prakhar Bansal, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: University of Connecticut
Graduate and Medical School: UConn School of MedicinePGY 4
Cesar Montelongo Hernandez, M.D., M.S., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: New Mexico State University
Medical School: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Victoria Okuneye, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Medical School: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine - Alumni Perspectives
“I was excited to learn about the vibrant Muslim community in Dallas and at UTSW. I also spoke with five residents and was humbled by the generosity of their time. I loved hearing different perspectives on how to be successful in the research track and about support for residents with children, learning about global health projects, and finding out that the interns had time to partake in a snowball fight in a recent snowstorm.”
“UTSW is one of the few programs that offer an NIMH R25 funded research track position for general psychiatry residents. Dr. Trivedi was the lead on the influential Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study. In addition, Dr. Trivedi's paper on bupropion and naltrexone for methamphetamine use disorder (published in New England Journal of Medicine) guided my clinical decision-making in adult inpatient psychiatry at Iowa.”
“I was attracted to UTSW for its research opportunities and excellent clinical training. The research track is very generous with its commitment to protected research time and access to a diverse range of mentors. On the clinical side, we train in a multitude of clinical sites serving diverse patient populations. Our program and research track leadership is very attentive and willing to work with residents in improving our experience.”