Message from the Training Office
Welcome to the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Department of Psychiatry Office of Training! As the only university based program in Brooklyn and also the largest, we have a total of 48 residents training in general psychiatry. Our program is comprised of multiple sites, each of which offers something unique to education: University Hospital of Brooklyn-SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, Kings County Hospital Center, Kingsboro Psychiatric Center, Lenox Hill Hospital, and Veterans' Affairs Medical Center Brooklyn.
Like the borough of Brooklyn itself, we pride ourselves on our diversity. Our residents come from all over the world and we are fortunate to attract applicants who are a mix of US medical graduates and International Medical Graduates. Our IMGs are both American citizens who have completed medical school abroad and others who are foreign nationals on visas. The result is a rich collegiality that enhances both the professional and personal lives of our trainees. We believe that the pluralistic composite of patients we serve are also the benefactors of this cultural and ethnic diversity.
Because we are grounded in a medical school setting, our residents are key players in teaching medical students. This is an integral part of training and universally lauded by our students and residents. Research is expected as well and our protected one month rotation in the PGY2 year is the springboard for this endeavor. Didactics are comprehensive and built into all four years of training. We are committed to community psychiatry. Not only do all of our residents gain experience assessing and treating individuals with mental illness who are homeless but most "give back" to the community by volunteering at the Brooklyn Free Clinic, the annual NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Walk, the annual AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) Walk or other initiatives.
Our graduates thrive on the rigor of our program. They all finish with impressive CVs and portfolios and compete with the best for highly sought after fellowships, academic positions, hospital appointments, community employment or private practice work. We take pleasure in having launched some of the most talented and exemplary psychiatrists both here and abroad. We hope that exploring our website will give you more detailed information about our training program. Thanks for visiting and don't hesitate to contact us directly. As we say to our new recruits "welcome to the family".
Scot G. McAfee, MD
Vice Chair for Education
Director, Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program
Junaid Mirza, MD
Associate Program Director
Adult Psychiatry Residency Program
Audra Silecchia-Koenig
Residency Administrator
Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program