Message from the Program Director

Dear Applicant,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Dignity Health St Joseph's Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Stockton, California. We are thrilled that you are interested in our newest Psychiatry Residency Program accredited by ACGME in April of 2021. Our inaugural class of seven PGY-1 residents started in 2021. We are a community-based program in partnership with the Oldest State Hospital in California, Napa State Hospital, founded in 1875. Our mission is to train psychiatrists who provide the highest quality of care for the medically under-served, under-insured, and culturally diverse communities of San Joaquin County, California State Institutions, and Northern California. Our primary training sites include St. Joseph's Medical Center, St. Joseph's Behavioral Health Center, and Napa State Hospitals. Through the training at these various sites, our residents will receive training in all aspects of psychiatry and learn to care for a diverse group of patients with different socioeconomic backgrounds.

We have a dedicated set of faculty with extensive clinical experience and diverse backgrounds. Most of our core faculties have sub-specialty training in various fields such as Child Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, and Sleep Medicine. Residents will receive intensive supervision under our highly trained and board-certified faculties.

Our robust didactic curriculum includes high-yield topics in Psychopathology, Psychopharmacology, Psychotherapies, Child Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Research and Quality Improvement, PRITE, and Board Review Series. In addition to these academic activities, our program's monthly Mortality and Morbidity Conferences, Journal Clubs, Case Conferences, and Seminars, along with our residents' presentations, augment the overall graduate medical education experience.

Additionally, we have a research division devoted to promoting scholarly activities and quality improvement projects among residents. We collaborate with Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine; their academic teaching further enriches our faculty development and educational projects. Residents will have adequate opportunities to engage in scholarly activities under the guidance of our clinical or research faculties. 

We are committed to recruiting a diverse group of residents and providing a supportive environment for their wellness and professional and personal growth through teaching, mentorship, and scholarship.

I invite you to visit our program and explore all the available opportunities for your training. I appreciate your interest. We look forward to talking with you in person.

Vijaya Ekambaram, MD, MPH
Psychiatry Residency Program Director