We are committed to training psychiatrists who are expert in the brain, the mind, and social systems; work highly capably in teams and care systems; meet each patient with dignity and the desire to listen; and feel supported by our training community and support each other in turn. We aim to raise awareness in faculty, staff, and residents about issues pertaining to racism, create a safe place to train, increase recruitment efforts of underrepresented minority residents, and teach faculty, staff, and residents about issues pertaining to race in patient care settings. We believe training happens best in a community dedicated to diversity and inclusion, to pursuing social justice and health care equity through vigorous anti-racism efforts.

Rotations and Clinical Sites with Diverse Patients

Psychiatry Residents at UT Southwestern have the opportunity for a vast array of different rotations and clinical sites and work with a diverse patient population:

• Parkland Hospital Inpatient Psychiatry Unit, C/L service, and Psychiatric Emergency Department
• Parkland Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic
• Dallas Veterans Affair Hospital (2nd largest VA Hospital in the US!)
• Metrocare Outpatient Services: opportunity to do community-based mental health treatment, work with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams, and participate in community outreach with the Dallas homeless population
• Forensic experience at the Dallas County Jail

Diversity in Electives

We offer elective opportunities for Psychiatry Residents in settings that promote diversity:

• College Mental Health at Paul Quinn College
• Refugee Mental Health Clinic
• Global Mental Health Experience in Guyana
• Veterans Community Outpatient Rotation
• Teaching Adolescents at Local High Schools

Residency Learning and Curriculum Offerings Emphasizing Culture and Diversity

We offer didactic lectures with a cultural and diversity emphasis across all residency years: 

• PGY1
  • Introduction to Discrimination as a Social Determinant of Mental Health
  • Global Mental Health
  • Cultural Formulation
  • LGBTQI+ Mental Health  

• PGY2
  • Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
  • LGBTQI+ Mental Health and Substance Abuse
  • Refugee Mental Health
  • Troubleshooting Multicultural Factors
  • Transitional Aged Youth  

• PGY3
  • Financial Planning for the Resident
  • Ethical Issues Raised by the Use of Social Media by Patients and Providers
  • Collaborative Care
  • Mindfulness  

• PGY4
  • Social Media in Mental Health
  • Cultural Factors in Psychiatry
  • Antipsychiatry
  • Social Determinants of Mental Health
  • History of Psychiatry
  • Religion and Psychiatry

We host additional learning opportunities for all residents that emphasize diversity and inclusion: 

• Didactic lectures with special topics with objectives and activities developed by residents:
  • African Americans Mental Health at the African American Museum
  • Latino Mental Health at the Latino Cultural Center
  • Social Determinants of Mental Health (past guest speaker: Dr. Ruth Shim)
  • Understanding Cross Cultural Experiences
• Grand Rounds
  • Strong priority to invite speakers who are experts in the fields of diversity, inclusion, racism, and culture in mental health
• Literature and Psychiatry Series
  • Series embedded within didactic lectures in which we read literature chosen by residents (e.g., poems, short stories)
  • The Literature and Psychiatry Work Group and the Resident Initiative for Solidarity and Engagement (RISE) Together Committee meet to ensure that required readings come from authors from different backgrounds and that stories are reflective of such differences