Triple Board Program
We train physicians to be leaders who treat and advocate for the most complex child and adolescent patients with co-occurring and intertwined physical and mental health problems.Our diverse patient population and myriad sub-specialty programming give our trainees experience caring for unique patient populations in hospital-based and community settings. We will prepare you to manage even the most challenging cases.
Our program includes:
- 24 months of pediatrics
- 18 months of general psychiatry
- 18 months of child and adolescent psychiatry
Our graduates are board-eligible in all three disciplines and well prepared to practice in any one of them from robust training experiences enabling them to provide complex care in integrated and collaborative care settings across the lifespan.
- PGY 1-2
Focus
Developing pediatric skills and integrating fully with your pediatric residents cohort.
Core Rotations -- Innovative X+Y Schedule
Designed to provide a sound foundation in general pediatrics with exposure to a wide spectrum of illness encountered in a variety of settings: ambulatory clinics, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, our Level 1 Trauma Emergency Department, numerous general pediatrics and subspecialty inpatient floors for subspecialty elective rotations, our level I Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Parkland’s Newborn Nursery, and Parkland’s Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Sample Schedules
PGY 1
- Inpatient Pediatrics
- Emergency Medicine/Urgent Care
- Adolescent + Clinic
- Term Newborn Nursery
- Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics
- Subspecialty Selective
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
PGY 2
- Inpatient Pediatrics
- Subspecialty Elective
- Ambulatory Peds + Clinic
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Emergency Medicine/Urgent Care
2-Week Orange Block (Ambulatory Care + Clinic)
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Ambulatory Care, Didactics Ambulatory Care Continuity Clinic Ambulatory Care Academic Half Day Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Ambulatory Care Ambulatory Care Continuity Clinic Training Sites
- Children’s Medical Center Dallas
- Parkland Hospital
- PGY 3
Focus
Developing skills in adult psychiatry while continuing continuity clinic in pediatrics.
- Inpatient Psychiatry Units at Parkland, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University Hospital
- Dallas County Jail (Forensic Psychiatry)
- Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Parkland
- Parkland Emergency Psychiatry
- Neurology at Parkland
- Geriatric Psychiatry at the VA
- Addiction Psychiatry at the VA
- Community Psychiatry at Metrocare Services
- Half-Day Continuity Clinic throughout the year in Pediatrics at Children’s Medical Center Dallas
- PGY 4
Focus
Continuing adult psychiatry training with longitudinal outpatient psychiatry and beginning training in child and adolescent psychiatry rotations alongside the new cohort of child and adolescent psychiatry fellows.
- Longitudinal Adult Psychiatry Outpatient at Parkland
- Day Treatment at Children’s Medical Center Dallas
- Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Children’s Medical Center Dallas
- Inpatient Adolescent Psychiatry at Terrell State Hospital
- Inpatient Psychiatry at Center for Eating Disorders at Children’s Medical Center Plano
- Half-Day Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Continuity Clinic
- PGY 5
Focus
Continuing longitudinal outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry clinic with exposure to other specialized outpatient clinics, school consultation, forensics, addiction, and pediatric neurology.
- Longitudinal Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic at Children's Health
- Outpatient Community Psychiatry
- Suicide Prevention and Resilience at Children’s Intensive Outpatient Programming
- Pediatric Neurology
- The UT Southwestern and Children’s Health Center for Autism Care
- Health Care for Children in Foster Care
- Teen Recovery Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment
- School Consultation at St. Anthony School
- Forensic Psychiatry at Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center
- 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.
- Elective for Visiting Medical Students
Would you like to experience the interface of pediatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, and adult psychiatry?
Our 4-week elective is tailored specifically to fourth-year medical students who have a keen interest in the Triple Board specialty and are considering it as a career. You will:
- Gain experience in the diagnosis and management of complex neuropsychiatric disorders in pediatric populations and conduct treatment planning
- Provide child and adolescent psychiatric care at Children's Health Dallas, a top pediatric hospital and the 8th largest pediatric health care provider in the nation
- Practice in multidisciplinary systems of care with our team in the Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Service to evaluate and treat the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive needs of our patients
- See youth with comorbid medical and psychiatric illnesses in inpatient medical floors, the emergency department, and outpatient clinics
- Explore outpatient pediatrics in our specialty clinics
- Spend time with young adult patients in our Transitional Age Youth Clinic at Parkland Health, one of the largest public health hospital systems in the country
- Incorporate bio-psycho-socio-developmental models into clinical formulations
- Develop a presentation focused on a Triple Board topic to share at the end of the rotation
Apply via the Association of American Medical Colleges website:
Additional information:
Visiting Medical Students: Student Support Services - UT Southwestern, Dallas, TXInterested in Our Triple Board Program?
We strongly encourage medical students who are considering Triple Board residency programs to contact Dr. Kathie Trello-Rishel (Kathlene.Trello-Rishel@UTSouthwestern.edu) and Dr. Ashley Woolbert (Ashley.Woolbert@UTSouthwestern.edu) to learn more.
“I was drawn to the idea of providing holistic, comprehensive care for children in my community with increasing medical complexity. Through this program, I have cultivated a skill set that empowers me to not only diagnose and treat physical conditions but also to address the psychological and emotional aspects that influence a child's well-being. By obtaining general psychiatry training, I can appreciate the long-term impact of childhood trauma and the importance of early intervention in changing health trajectories. I love seeing the tremendous growth and resilience our patients embody over the course of our time together.“
Triple Board Residency Training
