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 access to didactics, financial support, and protected time for research.
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.
“My research interview day was an invigorating experience. I loved all my meetings with the faculty, and Dr. Tamminga's excitement was quite infectious! I did struggle at the thought of moving my family from California to a state where I thought we might not be welcome. I did not know much about the Dallas area or Texas. Dr. Brenner heard me and connected me with a Muslim faculty member who graduated from the program. I was excited to learn about the vibrant Muslim community in Dallas and at UTSW (and see her baby!). 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 the recent snowstorm.”
- 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
- Preparing a poster for the annual Research Track Seminar
- 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
- Core Curriculum
The core didactic curriculum addresses issues pertinent to the personal success of residents, such as achieving financial stability through loan repayment programs and techniques for balancing work and life responsibilities.
Track residents have the chance to interact with prominent investigators in psychiatry and learn about their research career experience and ongoing work. Advanced track residents gain valuable experience by presenting their own findings and the future directions of their research.
PGY2 track residents attend weekly seminars on topics such as research design, biostatistics, grant writing, and critical evaluation of research literature:
- TRAIN Translational Research Seminars provide foundational knowledge that allows residents to develop a general understanding of basic and translational research areas and techniques, and facilitate the ability to directly interface with campus research laboratories. TRAIN residents supplement these seminars through active participation in basic neuroscience-focused journal clubs, laboratory meetings, Research Practicum, and presentations.
- TRAIN Research Domain Criteria Seminars led by faculty who are actively familiar with and/or conducting RDoC-relevant research focus on RDoC concepts and techniques associated with the classification of mental disorders based on dimensions of observable behavior and neurobiological measures organized in domains, constructs, subconstructs, and associated units of analysis.
- Advanced Research Topics Seminars targeted to research track residents and clinical psychology doctoral students provide trainees foundational knowledge of key elements of research productivity and funding acquisition, as well as general topics designed to enhance research skills and competency.
- TRAIN Resident Progress Seminars are opportunities for residents to present their ongoing work and allow for knowledge-sharing, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and practicing presentation skills.
- Faculty Mentors
- Application Process
Application Website
Use the Electronic Residency Application Service
ERAS Application Items
- Curriculum vitae
- Personal statement
- Transcripts from medical school
- Copies of USMLE or COMLEX scores, steps I, II and III (note: step III completion required)
- ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
- Three letters of recommendation from faculty supervisors
- Program Director's letter
- Program Director’s Attestation Form for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Eligibility (program director should attach linked form to program director's letter)
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).
Please note that as part of the application and interview process for a potential fellowship 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 training program, most of our graduates seek board certification. The process of board certification is separate from training and has additional requirements. Some board organizations require completion of all your education in an ACGME-accredited training program. Please contact the appropriate certifying board to understand your eligibility for board certification before accepting (if offered) a fellowship position at our institution.
- Current Residents
PGY1
Dhruba Banerjee, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley
Graduate and Medical School: University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
Prakhar Bansal, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: University of Connecticut
Graduate and Medical School: UConn School of MedicinePGY2
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 MedicinePGY3
Nabila Haque, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: Duke University
Medical School: University of California, Irvine
Thomas Pak, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Medical School: University of IowaPGY4
Ozlem Hokelekli, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate and Medical School: Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi
Bryan Kromenacker, M.D., Ph.D.
Undergraduate: Mercy College of Northwest Ohio
Medical School: University of Arizona
UTSW is one of the few programs that offer an NIMH R25 funded research track position for general psychiatry residents. Here, I get to work with such seminal figures like Dr. Emslie and Dr. Trivedi. I remember reading their studies when I was in medical school at Iowa. Dr. Emslie helped coordinate the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression study and the Treatment of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor-Resistant Depression in Adolescents study, and 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 am thrilled to be working in Dr. Trivedi's lab with Dr. Ayvaci, an excellent child psychiatrist and researcher. It was actually difficult for me to choose a lab, because there are so many amazing scientists here, but I'm really excited about my research project looking at biomarkers of suicidality in children and adolescents. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in children and adolescents, and it is meaningful to know that our research can help address suicide in this population.”