Department of Psychiatry

This is an extraordinary time in the history of Psychiatry. Exciting advances in neuroscience are being translated into clinical practice at a rapid rate. New medications, new diagnostic neuroimaging techniques, and the genetics of mental illness are among the several directions in which our field has progressed. Several psychotherapies, including cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal therapies, have also become more effective because of new research underpinning them.
The Department of Psychiatry at University Tennessee Health Science Center is at the forefront in teaching and training for practice based on both modern neuroscience and psychotherapy. Our faculty is working on research projects in neuropsychiatry, the genetics of schizophrenia, sexual abuse, family relationships in personality disorders, and clinical trials of new medications. Opportunities for our residents and students to participate in these areas are strongly supported.
The basis of our field is clinical work. Our affiliation with Methodist University Hospital, the Lakeside Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, the VA Medical Center, Memphis Mental Health Institute and The Regional Medical Center allows our faculty, residents, and students to work with a wide array of patients in many different clinical settings using a variety of practice models. Our primary duty is to serve those patients, while adding to the knowledge base supporting improved care. The close personal attention given to residents by our faculty helps to create the highly trained graduate of our program.
UTHSC’s Altha Stewart Presides at Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association
Wrapping up her year as president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), UT Health Science Center’s Altha Stewart gave the Presidential Address at
the organization’s 2019 annual meeting in San Francisco. She urged the 38,000-member
organization to continue to focus on treating the whole person, to be involved in
current issues affecting mental health across all ages and incomes, and to redouble
its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession. Read More