Ayame Takahashi, M.D.
Child Psychiatry Fellowship Director
 
The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training program
at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is
an ACGME accredited new 2-year training program.
There is a shortage of child psychiatrists throughout
the country and especially in the rural areas. The mission
of the medical school has always been to educate
medical professionals to provide medical care to the
population in central and southern Illinois. To that end,
the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry training program will train child
psychiatrists who are familiar with rural populations and comfortable
working in a community setting.

We provide eclectic, well-rounded clinical experiences and didactics. This
is a growing program that emphasizes personalized attention from the faculty.
For those applicants looking to build an academic or teaching career, this
is an ideal environment. The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
is nationally known for its innovations in medical education. Child and
adolescent psychiatry trainees will have multiple opportunities to participate
in teaching and mentoring medical students and general psychiatry residents.
There are also multiple opportunities to present with faculty at local and
national meetings, as well as to join research protocols.

Some unique aspects of this program include a daycare and regular public
school child observation rotation, so that fellows will gain a solid grounding
in the range of normal child development and behaviors. The telepsychiatry
rotation will not only expose the trainee to new technologies available for
treating patients in remote areas, but is also an area ripe for further development
for those fellows interested. The developmental disabilities rotation takes place
at the Hope Institute for Families, a well known school for children with disabilities.
Fellows will be exposed to children with varying developmental syndromes, and
will learn about diagnostic work up and longer term treatment for these children.

Last but not least, trainees will gain solid grounding in the "bread and butter" of
child psychiatry in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Not only will trainees
do new evaluations in inpatient and several outpatient settings, they will also have
the opportunity to follow a core of patients for medication management and psycho-
therapy through their 2 year course of training. Through all of these experiences,
one to one supervision and mentoring will be provided. Trainees will find that faculty
are very accessible, supportive, and eager to nurture them in their chosen path!

Ayame Takahashi, M.D.