Psychiatry Residency Neuroscience Research Tracks

General Psychiatry Residency | Research

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  4. Psychiatry Residency Neuroscience Research Tracks

Psychiatry Residency Neuroscience Research Tracks

Olusola Ajilore, MD, PhD
Associate Professor and Director of the Psychiatry Residency Neuroscience Research Tracks

Within psychiatry there exists a need to train physicians capable of treating patients, understanding the manifestations of disease, and performing substantive clinical or basic science research. In order to facilitate the development of psychiatrists who excel as clinicians and scientists, the Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry have created specialized Psychiatry Residency Neuroscience Research Tracks. Through formal instruction, mentorship, and the completion of a research project, participants are afforded an opportunity to make meaningful scientific contributions while preparing themselves to succeed as academic psychiatrists. Candidates who wish to participate in the Psychiatry Residency Neuroscience Research Tracks can apply directly through the match or at any time during their first two years of residency.

The research tracks integrate post-doctoral fellowship research training with a psychiatry residency, thereby preparing research track scholars for careers in academic medicine. The Adult Track provides two years of protected research time over a five-year Adult Psychiatry Residency, while the six-year Adult-Child Research Track provides over two years of protected research time during the completion of an Adult Psychiatry Residency and a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship. Research track scholars are also provided with funds for lab supplies and travel expenses to conferences. Upon acceptance, research track scholars are provided with adequate time during their first two years of residency to meet with potential mentors, design a project, and attend relevant meetings and seminars. Assistance in applying for NIH Loan Repayment and opportunities to attend lectures, journal clubs, and graduate level courses within the university are also available. Special arrangements can be made to enable residents to work towards an M.S. in neuroscience or Masters in Public Health (MPH) during the training period.

As the director of the research tracks I take it as my responsibility to facilitate the success of research track scholars. This is accomplished through individual and group meetings to discuss potential mentors, projects that could be successfully translated to grant applications, information regarding travel awards, career mentorship, and ongoing progress and satisfaction with the tracks.

Further information may be obtained by contacting:

Olusola Ajilore, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Psychiatry Residency Research Tracks
Department of Psychiatry
University of Illinois at Chicago
Phone: (312)413-4562
Email:oajiloreatuic [dot] edu

Administrative Assistant: Virginia Quiroz
Phone: (312) 996-4981
Email: vqui2atuic [dot] edu

As part of the research track, there is an opportunity to obtain a Master's degree in Clinical and Translational Science. This is for residents who are interested in developing more knowledge of biostatistics, study design, and epidemiology. For more information about this program, please click here.

For the list of Principal Investigators by area of interest, please click here.

Actual schedule will be determined on a case-by case basis

PGY1-2
10% Research Time

 

PGY3

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8:00

Research

Research

Research

Research

Research

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

Journal Club

Resident Meeting

1:00

Research

Research

Grand Rounds

2:00

Med Clinic

3:00

4:00

5:00

           

PGY4

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8:00

Research

Research

Research

Outpatient Psychotherapy

Research

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

Journal Club

Resident Meeting

1:00

Research

Research

Grand Rounds

Didactics

2:00

Med Clinic

3:00

4:00

5:00

           

PGY5

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8:00

Outpatient Clinic Rotation

Outpatient Clinic Rotation

Outpatient Clinic Rotation

Outpatient Clinic Rotation

Outpatient Clinic Rotation

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

Journal Club

Resident Meeting

Outpatient Psychotherapy

Research

1:00

Outpatient Psychotherapy

Group Therapy

Grand Rounds

Didactics

2:00

Outpatient Psychotherapy

Research

3:00

4:00

Research

5:00

For the list UIC Research Track alumni please click here.

Damek R. Homiack MD, PhD

  • Psychiatry Resident - PGY2
  • Medical School
    Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA
  • Graduate School
    Ph.D. Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Neuroscience
  • Undergraduate
    B.A. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO Psychology
  • Psychiatry Interests

    Geriatrics, Consult/Liasion, Addiction

  • Personal Interests

    Classic and foreign films, live music, parades, basketball

  • Hometown
    Broomfield, CO
Damek R. Homiack

AJ Shangguan MD, PhD

  • Psychiatry Resident - PGY1
  • Residency
    Northwestern University
  • Undergraduate
    Northwestern University
  • Psychiatry Interests

    psychosis, trauma, cognitive therapy, inpatient psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, psychoneuroimmunology, MRI, and metabolic imaging

  • Personal Interests

    Cross-stitching, board games, Chinese fantasy dramas/novels

  • Hometown
    Wilmette, IL

Alexandra Thomas MD

  • Psychiatry Resident - PGY4
  • Medical School
    Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
  • Graduate School
    Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
  • Undergraduate
    Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton, NJ
  • Psychiatry Interests

    child psychiatry, mood disorders, neural circuitry, neuromodulation

  • Personal Interests

    Spending time with my baby son, exploring Chicago, singing

  • Hometown
    Midland, Texas
Alexandra Thomas

Perry Tsai MD, PhD

  • Psychiatry Resident - PGY4
  • Medical School
    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
  • Graduate School
    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, Microbiology & Immunology
  • Undergraduate
    Harvard College, Cambridge, MA, Biochemical Sciences
  • Psychiatry Interests

    Consult/liaison, biological psychiatry, immunology, HIV, LGBTQ health, sexual health

  • Personal Interests

    music (piano/violin/singing/musicals), food (restaurants/TV), podcasts (storytelling/language/politics), advocacy (healthcare), movies (horror)

  • Hometown
    Metairie, LA (outside New Orleans)
Perry Tsai