Scholarly/Research Activity requirement

UCHC Psychiatry residents must complete two types of scholarly research requirements: annual requirements, and a longitudinal requirement. These are outlined below. In addition, all residents will participate in one QI project.

Journal club:
PGY1 and PGY2 residents on an annual basis will be paired with a PGY3 or PGY4 resident to select an article and lead a journal club session. As their part of the session, the junior resident will host a 15-minute article summary and discussion, outlining the details of the article and highlighting the merits and flaws/limitations of its conclusions. The senior resident will choose a topic relevant to the presented article to review or elaborate on to enrich the audience understand of the paper’s relevance to psychiatry.

Longitudinal Scholarly Activity:
In addition to providing high-quality clinical training, the UConn Adult Psychiatry Residency strives to promote a spirit of intellectual and scientific curiosity among its residents. Writing a scientific manuscript provides an excellent opportunity to think critically about a topic of choice and explore a subject in depth. In addition, the discipline of scientific writing is a critical skill for all residents whether or not they pursue fellowship training as it allows a more nuanced reading and interpretation of the scientific literature as it applies to clinical practice. Thus, learning the fundamentals of scientific writing will be at the heart of the scholarly activity for this residency program.

Scholarly Activities and Research-Requirements and opportunities

The Department of Psychiatry encourages and supports active engagement in scholarly work and research throughout the four years of residency training. Each resident is expected to complete and present at least one scholarly project at a state, regional, or national venue prior to graduation. Residents are required to do at least one scholarly activity every year. Residents are encouraged to engage in statewide or national scholarly activity in PGY1 year. Oral presentations, including presenting at case conferences and journal clubs, are incorporated into the didactic curriculum for each PGY year, providing multiple built-in opportunities for scholarly engagement within the program.

Departmental Opportunities and Faculty Mentorship: Residents are encouraged to share their work through posters and oral presentations at the Department of Psychiatry’s Annual Research Day. Faculty, including full-time, adjunct, and community faculty frequently invite residents to participate in scholarly activities and research projects. Residents may also independently approach faculty members for oversight, guidance, and mentorship on scholarly projects.

Residents may participate in a wide range of ongoing investigative efforts across the UConn Department of Psychiatry and the UConn School of Medicine, spanning basic science, clinical trials, psychotherapy outcomes, and neuroimaging. Scholarly projects and research initiatives may be conducted with any university, medical school, or affiliated community faculty member.

Definitions and Core Distinction

• Scholarly Activity: Oral presentations, poster presentations, publications.
• Research: Empirical investigation ranging from preclinical lab studies to clinical trials, neuroimaging, and psychotherapy research.

To facilitate scholarly productivity, the residency curriculum provides protected time:

• PGY-2 Research Block: Residents complete a dedicated four-week research rotation relieved of all clinical responsibilities (excluding potential peer coverage ranging from 1 to 7 days). This rotation is designed to initiate a research project or prepare a scholarly presentation. Under the supervision of a dedicated faculty mentor, the resident will meet at least twice during the block to conduct a focused literature review and author a foundational white paper.
• PGY-3 Protected Non-Clinical Time: Residents are allocated two unstructured, non-clinical half-days per week reserved for administrative duties, ongoing research, and scholarly endeavors.

Child Psychiatry Track
This track is for residents planning on entering a Child & Adolescent Fellowship after completion of PGY-3. Same procedures as mentioned above for PGY-1 thru PGY-3.