The Dr. June Jackson Christmas Medical Student Summer Fellowship in Psychiatry at Columbia University

Supported by an American Psychiatric Association (APA)--Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Resident Minority Fellowship.

 

Program dates for Summer 2017:

Wednesday, July 5 - Wednesday, August 9

 

The Phenomenal Career of Dr. June Jackson Christmas

The summer program has been named to honor the pioneering work of Dr. June Jackson Christmas, an African-American psychiatrist. Dr. Christmas founded the Harlem Rehabilitation Center, an innovative community-based psychiatric program, which trained local Harlem residents to assist psychiatric in-patients’ with reentry into society. She worked as the Commissioner of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services of New York City and later as a member of Governor Mario Cuomo’s Advisory Committee on Black Affairs. Dr. Christmas taught at Columbia University and continues to be active in her community, as well as, see private practice patients.

 

Program Overview

The Dr. June Jackson Christmas Medical Student Fellowship offers a chance for medical students who belong to historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to explore a career in psychiatry. The program is hosted by the Psychiatry Department at Columbia University and is a five-week experience for medical students in the summer after completing their first year of medical school. Students will be exposed to the breadth of psychiatry with rotations through an inpatient psychiatry unit, a community outpatient clinic, a mobile crisis team, a Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP), and through a consultation-liaison service. In addition, students will be paired with mentors who will help them gain a more personalized experience and will continue to be available to them after completion of the program.  The fellowship opportunity provides a $3,000 stipend for the 5 weeks of clinic experience.

 

Time Commitment

The expectation is that students will complete 5 consecutive weeks of the fellowship during the summer following acceptance into the program.

 

Stipend Distribution

Fellowship stipends will be distributed in two $1,500 installments. The first disbursement will be at the onset of the summer fellowship. Upon meeting all program requirements, the last installment will be disbursed.

 

Fellowship Requirements

To be eligible medical students must:

  • Have begun medical school in 2016 and expect to finish their first year by June 2017
  • Be students enrolled in accredited U.S. medical schools
  • Identify as belonging to a racial or ethnic group that has been historically underrepresented in psychiatry (i.e. American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian)
  • Be in good academic standing at their current medical school
  • Agree that their fellowship will last 5 consecutive weeks
  • Agree to participate in all surveys as part of the program’s evaluation
  • Participate in a virtual or in person interview if requested

 

Application Materials

  • Application: Please fill out all application fields.
  • Curriculum Vitae: Please include an updated version of your CV as part of this application.
  • Statement of Interest: Please write a single-spaced essay of no fewer than 400 words and no more than 800 words on why you are applying to this program. You should include any special careers interests that you would like to pursue in the future and how this program would assist with you meeting those goals, as well as, additional skills and experiences that you may want to highlight that could add to the your experience or others in the program. Please indicate anything else you consider relevant such as language proficiency, psychiatry and/or psychology courses taken among other things.
  • Letters of Reference: 2 letters of references from individuals who are closely acquainted with your educational, volunteer, and/or work experience over the last 4 years sent directly to malonep@nyspi.columbia.edu.
  • Medical School Letter: A letter of good standing from the Dean of Students at the applicant’s medical school must be sent directly to malonep@nyspi.columbia.edu

 

Application Instructions

  • Please save the application and supporting documents as PDF or Word documents in the following way: First name, Last name, Application or CV or Essay (E.g. Maria Smith Essay)
  •  Application and supplemental documents should be emailed to malonep@nyspi.columbia.edu
  •  Application Deadline: Midnight EST on February 16, 2017
  •  Applications received after the deadline will be considered on availability.

 

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact:

  • Patrice Malone, MD, PhD Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital New York State Psychiatric Institute
    1051 Riverside Drive, Box 83 New York, NY 10032
    Phone: 646-774-6364
    Email: malonep@nyspi.columbia.edu