About the Program
VCU’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship is a two-year program that is fully accredited by the ACGME and located primarily at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children (VTCC).
Our fellows receive extensive training in broad areas of mental health delivery for our patients and their families, with a significant focus in the following areas:
- Acute inpatient hospitalization
- Outpatient clinical treatment
- Consultation-liaison experiences within the VCU Health System
- Community collaborative programs
Throughout the training, our fellows engage in service delivery with patients ranging from infancy to young adulthood, spanning a broad range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, with an emphasis on the underserved.
Our growing team of diverse and highly specialized faculty are dedicated to the education of our fellows, using a multidisciplinary approach to education. This includes on-site training programs in adjacent fields such as psychology, social work, nursing and pharmacy, among others.
Hello, and welcome to the Virginia Commonwealth University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program webpage!
The Virginia Commonwealth University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship is a fully ACGME-accredited, two-year training program primarily located at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR). The Virginia Treatment Center for Children (VTCC) is our inpatient and outpatient facility, which is a separate, newly designed building. Serving a highly diverse patient demographic spanning all of Virginia, our fellows receive extensive training in broad areas of mental health delivery for our patients and their families, including a significant focus on acute inpatient hospitalization, outpatient clinical treatment, consultation-liaison experiences within the VCU Health System, as well as interfacing in several of our outpatient community collaborative programs.
The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry endorses and abides by the VCU GME Office statement of Diversity and Inclusion. We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion as a part of our core mission. We believe that investing in diversity promotes institutional excellence. Our efforts focus on engaging patients, trainees, and employees and inspiring a culture that is deliberate in its adoption of the principles of diversity and inclusion. We aim for equity in medical education, patient care, research, and teaching. Our goal is to build upon our experience and make inclusion a norm that is practiced at every level.
Throughout the program, our fellows engage in service delivery with a patient population ranging from infancy to young adulthood that spans multiple cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, with an emphasis on the underserved. We have a growing, diverse, and enthusiastic faculty dedicated to the education and supervision of our fellows. We emphasize a multidisciplinary approach to education which includes on-site training programs in psychology, social work, nursing, and clinical pharmacy, among other disciplines. The expertise of our faculty spans many areas including psychopharmacology
research, treatment of aggression, neurodevelopmental disorders, prevention, policy, cultural psychiatry, educational techniques, various psychotherapies, and the assessment and management of trauma and its aftereffects. Starting in October 2023, we have added an Integrated Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fast-Track Program NRMP # 1743400C2 starting with PGY-1 at the VCU General Psychiatry Program for those who are interested.
Supporting the rotational experiences, our program includes 3 protected hours per week for didactics. Our curriculum emphasizes the interface of genetics and neuroscience, psychosocial factors, trauma, culture, current diagnostics, psychotherapeutic and somatic interventions, in addition to family and systems-based approaches. Fellows have both medication and psychotherapy clinics throughout the fellowship program. Each clinic has direct supervision present throughout the session for both years.
The VCU Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship program offers fellows multiple opportunities for research and scholarship, ranging from small QI projects to joining large studies being conducted in the Department of Psychiatry and across the Health System. The fellow has the opportunity to participate in writing projects mentored by faculty, as well as teaching students and residents across disciplines, and presenting formal presentations at national meetings such as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, (AACAP), the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT).
Overall, the VCU Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship promotes a high degree of individualized attention to the education and supervision of each fellow as they develop in order to promote best outcomes for our patients and families in addition to building strong mental health clinicians to care for and support our future generations.
Curriculum
First-year fellows experience a curriculum designed to promote core skills in the diagnostics, evaluation and treatment of children and families with a wide range of mental health needs, including the following rotations:
- Acute inpatient hospital unit at VTCC
- Consultation-liaison rotation at VCU Health System
- Outpatient continuity clinic at VTCC
- Psychotherapy clinic at VTCC
- Pediatric general neurology and epilepsy clinics at Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR)
Second-year fellows will expand on the core skill sets developed during the first-year curriculum, with an emphasis on applying these skills in a variety of clinical and community settings, including the following rotations:
- Community psychiatry at the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority
- Outpatient continuity clinic and psychotherapy clinics at VTCC
- Pediatric and adolescent collaborative clinics at CHoR
- Pediatric genetics clinic at CHoR
- Pediatric traumatic brain injury clinic at CHoR
- Forensic experiences at the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice
- School services rotations through Henrico Mental Health and Dominion Care
- Multiple research and scholarship electives
- Adolescent and transitional aged youth substance use service
Fellows have 3-4 protected hours of didactics per week, covering topics such as the following:
- The interface of genetics and neuroscience
- Psychosocial factors
- Trauma
- Culture
- Current diagnostics
- Psychotherapeutic and somatic interventions
- Family and systems-based approaches
Life in Richmond
We encourage our trainees to maintain a healthy, balanced life, and Richmond is a wonderful place to engage in that well-rounded lifestyle. As a mid-sized city with a metropolitan population of 1.3 million, Richmond provides stimulating activities while maintaining its intimate feel and unique vibe.
Learn more about our communityHow to Apply
Starting in October 2023, we have added an Integrated Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fast-Track Program, NRMP# 1743400C2, starting with PGY-1 at the VCU General Psychiatry Program for those who are interested.
We participate in the National Residency Matching Program (January match), and require that all applications be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service.
Eligible candidates must have completed their third year (PGY-3) of a psychiatry residency prior to the fellowship start date, have passed their USMLE Step 3/COMLEX Level 3 and be able to secure a Virginia medical license. Application requirements include:
- CV
- Personal statement
- Medical school transcript
- Medical student performance evaluation
- USMLE/COMLEX scores
- ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
- Three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from your psychiatry residency training director
For more information about our fellowship, please contact:
Sharon Scott
Educational Program Coordinator
sharon.scott@vcuhealth.org
Fellowship Director
Dimal Shah, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Dimal Shah, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
2nd Year Fellows
Jamesha Lewis Bryant, MD
Lily Fatourou, MD
Hillary Gary, MD
Moutushi Kundu, MBBS
1st Year Fellows
Court Kusler, MD
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Hadley McPherson, MD