There are small variations in the number of months a trainee would expect to be on a particular rotation but should be within the range indicated.  The exact number of months on each rotation cannot be determined until after match day when the number of residents entering a class is revealed.  Regardless of the number of residents in a class, our program prioritizes teaching and learning.  None of our rotations are resident dependent and all have caps on the number of patients you will see in a day so that learning remains your focus.

Year One

Inpatient Psychiatry Rotation (4 - 6 months):

The 20-bed Ackerly Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit at Norton Children’s Hospital provides intensive diagnostic and treatment services for children and adolescents in severe mental health crisis. These services include psychiatric and psychological evaluation, individual, group and family therapies and educational evaluations. The multidisciplinary team providing care include child and adolescent psychiatrists and trainees, child clinical and pediatric psychologists, social workers, art therapists, music therapists, chaplains, pet therapists, and public school teachers.  Many children require medical evaluations in the coordination of psychiatric treatment; this is provided by consultants from Norton Children’s Hospital. Hospitalizations are as brief as possible and discharge planning is initiated at the time of admission to allow the most appropriate follow up care to be provided. Ackerly has become a regional referral center with an excellent reputation. Caring for children and adolescents on the acute inpatient unit is valuable experience for residents to learn about acute management of psychiatric emergencies, psychopharmacology, child development, community resources and to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Community Psychiatry Rotation (4 - 6 months):

This rotation is divided between multiple sites to provide broad and diverse opportunity for training. The Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) is an intensive, short-term inpatient program for children who do not need hospitalization, but require intervention beyond outpatient treatment. The CSU also provides step-down services for individuals discharging from psychiatric facilities who need additional support prior to returning home. While at the CSU, children receive individual counseling, a complete mental health assessment, pharmacological management, case management services and connection to local resources. This experience provides trainees with a closer look at community mental health services in Louisville.  Fellows also gain experience at the Seven Counties Residential Treatment Center where youth learn ways to manage their behavioral issues that may have resulted from their past trauma, and have caused the youth, family and/or guardian stress. During these long term treatments, individuals learn basic and advanced social skills that help build self-esteem, communication, self-awareness and healthy relationships. Many children in Kentucky, particularly those in foster care, are treated in psychiatric residential treatment facilities. While at residential facility, youth receive individual counseling, a complete mental health assessment, pharmacological management, case management services and connection to local resources. During this rotation, residents have the opportunity to learn what life is like in a residential treatment setting and participate in their care.  

Emergency Psychiatry Experience:

This hybrid experience occurs intermittently throughout your 2 years of training. Norton Children’s Hospital Emergency Psychiatric services provides services to children and teens with a psychiatric emergency. Individuals are evaluated and the appropriate level of care is determined by a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist during business hours. Recognizing pediatric psychiatric emergencies, as well as indications for lower level of care is a crucial skill for child and adolescent psychiatrists. This rotation will develop that skill and serve to familiarize you with various levels of mental health care in the community.

Psychotherapy Clinic (continuous):

Fellows begin seeing therapy patients in the outpatient clinic (1/2 day per week) for the duration of their fellowship. Fellows are assigned a therapy supervisor with whom they meet weekly to discuss these patients and learn the art of psychotherapy.  Fellows are expected to see 2 hours per week of psychotherapy patients during their first year of training.

Didactics:

One half day per week is protected for didactics and Academic Hour Conferences during lunch on Wednesday.

Year Two

Community and Integration Rotation (3 - 6 months):

This is a core outpatient medication management rotation that involves multiple sites and diverse environments. Integrated Care Pediatric Clinic is a collaborative care outpatient clinic that fully models integrated care with the general pediatric clinic. In this clinic, you will work alongside general pediatric providers to better meet the aim of improved patient outcomes as well as assist pediatricians with diagnosing and treating common mental health issues in children and adolescents.  During this rotation, the fellow gains experience with the School-based services to provide outpatient medical management to children and youth in the community. Through partnering with Jefferson County Public Schools, the resident can serve youth in a familiar setting, offering minimal interruption to their school day.

Elective Psychiatry (3 - 4 months):

This program has a broad range of experiences available.  It was designed to allow the fellow to sample areas that may be of interest but that are not built into the standard training curriculum.  Areas available include:

Administrative Psychiatry:

Experience with this rotation is to facilitate the development of leadership and administrative skills as this will be an important role fellows will serve as they transition to practicing independently. During this rotation, fellows will be entrusted with administrative responsibilities on both inpatient and outpatient settings, as a teacher, as well as learning public policy making and advocacy at the state level through a partnership with the Kentucky Department of Child and Family Services. 

State Advocacy and Policymaking: 

The fellow will work closely with the medical director for the Kentucky Department of Child and Family Services (CHFS) to learn about mental healthcare at the state level as well as learning public policy making and advocacy at the state level through a partnership with the Kentucky Department of Child and Family Services. 

Louisville Center for Eating Disorders:

Gain experience in evaluating and treating eating disorders in youth and young adults with one of our community partners in education.

Pediatric Subspecialty Clinics:

The fellow may choose to learn about how mental health services are delivered in pediatric subspecialty clinics including hematology/oncology, heart and kidney transplant services, Headache Clinic, and endocrinology.

Norton Children’s Autism Center:

The fellow may choose additional experience working to provide multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment of children and teens with autism spectrum disorders and their families to achieve positive outcomes. The child psychiatrists work alongside child neurologists, developmental pediatricians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and applied behavior analysis therapists to provide optimal care.

Addictions Psychiatry:

Gain experience in treating youth with addictions on both the inpatient and outpatient basis by partnering with a private community-based organization.  Programs on both settings operate using the Seven Challenges model for addictions treatment.

Consult-Liaison Rotation (4 - 6 months):

The division provides active consultation to the pediatric wards of Norton Children’s Hospital. Helping children and families cope with illness and the effects of trauma, as well as acute sequelae of suicide attempts, are the most common interventions provided. The Consultation Team includes the chief of the service, several child and adolescent psychologists, and consulting trainees in both psychology and psychiatry. The Outpatient Pediatric Neurology Clinic provides a multi-disciplinary exposure to learn about psychological and psychiatric aspects in managing various complex neurological conditions such as tics and Tourette syndromes, seizure disorders, and developmental delays.

Continuity Clinic: Outpatient care at Bingham Clinic:

The Bingham Clinic has been in existence since 1913 which makes it one of the oldest child guidance centers in the country. The clinic provides outpatient psychiatric services for local children and for children throughout the region. These services include careful psychiatric and psychological evaluation and treatments, including pharmacotherapy, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, and education. Residents will provide outpatient medication management services (1/2 day per week) for the duration of their second year of fellowship. Direct supervision of each patient is provided by a child psychiatrist on the teaching faculty.

Psychotherapy Clinic:

Fellows continue seeing therapy patients in the outpatient clinic (1/2 day per week) for the duration of their fellowship.  Fellows are assigned a therapy supervisor with whom they meet weekly to discuss these patients and learn the art of psychotherapy. Fellows in their second year of training are expected to see 4 hours per week of therapy patients.

Didactics:

One half day per week is protected for didactics and Academic Hour Conferences during lunch on Wednesday.

Call Responsibilities:

Fellows can expect to be on call on the weekends approximately 1 weekend every 5 weeks throughout their training, regardless of how many residents are in the program.  While on call, the fellow will round on the inpatient unit with an attending and see urgent consults to the medical floor on Saturday and Sunday. Apart from weekends, you may also be required to take pager call from home 1-2 nights per month.  This is a requirement we are working to eliminate in the near future so as not to detract from your learning on subsequent days.

Educational and Scholarly Activity

Journal Club:  Each fellow collaborates with a faculty mentor to present a journal club emphasizing fellow teaching, topics relevant to training, and current research to the division once each year.  We encourage topics that can stimulate discussions related to how racism or other forms of discrimination may apply.

Case Conference:  Each fellow will select, work-up, and present an interesting case as illustrative of a particular pathology or treatment modality with the mentorship of an assigned faculty member to the division for discussion annually.  We ask that this case conference be presented through a lens of diversity and equity.

Didactics: One half day per week is protected for didactics and Academic Hour Conferences during lunch on Wednesday.

Diversity Curriculum:  We have speakers 1-2 times per month focused on aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion.  This educational series involves both the trainees and the attending faculty of our division as we believe that in order to bring forth change and to better care for our patients, we must all be involved in educating ourselves and advocating for others.

Grand Rounds:  Divisional grand rounds occur once per month at the noon hour for the entire Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology.  Guest speakers may be from within our university or from other universities. 

Research Experience:  First Year trainees function as a team, selecting a topic that can be developed, studied, and displayed as a poster presentation for the Department of Pediatrics Research Day, Research! Louisville, or the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Time is protected each week to devote to this project along with a faculty mentor.  Recent trainees have looked at the association of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) with bullying, the association of screen time with anxiety and depression, factors associated with psychiatric hospital readmissions, and the impact of mass shootings on the mental health of youth in our community.

Quality Improvement Experience:  During the second year of training, residents work alongside pediatric residents on a quality improvement project with the overall goal of improving pediatric residents ability to manage basic mental health issues in the primary care setting.  This project is mentored by both general pediatric and child & adolescent psychiatry faculty. 

Learning Alongside Pediatricians:   Throughout your training, there are numerous educational opportunities to learn and grow with residents from other pediatric specialties as well as faculty throughout the department of pediatrics.  These opportunities include departmental grand rounds, case conferences and lunch and learn opportunities.

Jennifer Le, MD
Division Chief & Fellowship Training Program Director
Email

Eric Gray
Program Coordinator
Email   | 502-588-0800; x50716

Current Fellows

1st Year Fellows

Radha Saha, MD
Hometown:
Undergrad:  Ispahani Public School and College , Chittagong
Medical School:  Sher-E-Bangla Medical College, Bangladesh
General Psychiatry: The Wright Center Graduate Medical Education, Scranton, PA
Child Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

Geetha Vyas, MD
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Undergrad:  University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Medical School:  American University of Antigua College of Medicine, Antigua and Barbuda
General Psychiatry: East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Child Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

2nd Year Fellows - graduating 2024

Ashley Pettaway, MD
Undergrad:  University of Alabama Birmingham
Medical School:  University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama
General Psychiatry: University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlotsville, Virginina
Child Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Alabama Pediatric Psychiatry Group serving Children’s of Alabama Medical Center

Past Fellows

2023

Nichole Wood, MD
Hometown:  Thompson, Georgia
Undergrad:  University of Georgia, Athens
Medical School:  Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica
General Psychiatry Residency: Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, New York
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship: University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Baptist Health Medical Group—Behavioral Health Hamburg, Lexington, Kentucky

2022

Kristine Baula, MD
Hometown:  Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Undergrad:  Western Kentucky University
Medical School:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
General Psychiatry Residency: University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship: University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Inpatient Child Psychiatrists at Baptist Health Medical Group, Richmond, Kentucky

Mahmood "Emon" Hossain, DO
Hometown: Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Undergrad: University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Georgia Campus
General Psychiatry Residency: Florida International University/Citrus Health Network, Hialeah, Florida
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation:  Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Medical Director of Serenity Mental Health Centers, Houston, Texas

"I chose UofL because I wanted the perfect work-life balance. I got to be in a low-stress environment while still at a reputable academic institution with excellent training and a cool group of co-fellows and attendings, all while still living in a decent-sized metropolitan area with things to do, places to eat, convenient proximity to nearby cities, and plenty of time to moonlight (or whatever else I want to do). Once I interviewed here, I knew it would be difficult to beat Louisville."

Hira Waseem, MD
Medical School:  Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
General Psychiatry Residency:  Florida International University/Citrus Health Network, Hialeah, Florida
Employment Post Graduation:  Addictions Psychiatry Fellowship at University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Inpatient psychiatrist at the University of Louisville, Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

2021

Parth Brahmbhatt, MD
Hometown: Ahmedabad, India
Medical School: Smt. NHL Muncipal Medical College
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation:  Inpatient Child Psychiatry at Orlando Health Medical Center, Orlando, Florida

Azra Lynn, MD
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Undergrad:  University of Kentucky
Medical School:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation:  Eating Disorder Program at ERC Pathlight, Sacramento, California

Naren Theja Vellanki, MD
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Undergrad: The Ohio State University
Medical School: University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, Ohio
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation:  Inpatient Child Psychiatry at Orlando Health Medical Center, Orlando, Florida

2020

Patrick W. Conway, DO, MDiv
Medical School:  University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine
General Psychiatry Residency:  Authority Health, Detroit, Michigan
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation:  Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Grand Rapids, Michigan
 

Paul Tom Parackal, MD
Medical School:  Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, Chian
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation:  Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance, Stratford General Hospital, Stratford, Ontario, Canada

"I have appreciated how much I’ve grown as not only a physician but as an individual over my years of training at University of Louisville. My supervisors were helpful and insightful, especially when I hit a wall with a patient and didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t have picked a better group of people to work with. The attendings encourage you, believe in you and see qualities in you that you don’t always see in yourself. The leadership in this department is superior. Doing my fellowship here has motivated me to be a lifelong learner so that I can be a better psychiatrist each day to provide better care to my patients."

Tymberly Seim, MD
Medical School:  Oregon Health Sciences School of Medicine
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation:  Valley Mental Health, Salem Oregon

2019

Kento Akasaka, DO
Medical School: Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery; Des Moines, Iowa
General Psychiatry Residency:  Wright State University; Dayton, Ohio
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Nationwide Children’s; Columbus, Ohio

Laviesta Ferrell, DO
Medical School: University of Pikeville, College of Osteopathic Medicine; Pikeville, Kentucky
General Psychiatry Residency:  Authority Health; Detroit, Michigan
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Locums Tenens work travelling the country.

2018

Johanna Landinez, MD
Medical School: St. Matthews University School of Medicine, Grand Cayman
General Psychiatry Residency:  St. John’s Episcopal Hospital; Far Rockaway, New York
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Franciscan Behavioral Health; Tacoma, Washington

Biling Xu, MD
Medical School: Sun Yat-sen University, School of Medicine; China
General Psychiatry Residency:  St. John’s Episcopal Hospital; Far Rockaway, New York
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: One Star Circle of Care at Round Rock Health Clinic; Roundrock, Texas

2017

Tiya Johnson, MD
Medical School: University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital; Miami, Florida
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Forensics Fellowship:  University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
Employment Post Graduation: UT Health East Texas Physicians; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler

Gagandeep Kaur, MD
Medical School: Kasturba Medical College; Mangalor, India
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville

Kamleh Shaban, MD
Medical School: University of Colorado
General Psychiatry Residency:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:  University of Louisville; Louisville, Kentucky
Employment Post Graduation: Saha Psychiatry; Private practice in Denver Colorado; University of Colorado Hospital, Emergency Psychiatric Services

Louisville... a Great Place to Live, Work, and Learn!

Louisville. It's Happening Here!

Whether you like food, the arts, sports, parks, or just really cool architecture, Louisville has something for everyone!  The home of the Kentucky Derby is a charming Southern city offering more than just a thrilling 2 minute horse race.  Louisville is a progressive community of nearly 1 million people with a robust economy.

Situated on the banks of the Ohio River, America's 17th largest city boasts a cost of living that is substantially lower than the national average, with a broad range of affordable housing options from high-rise apartments and historic Victorian homes to suburban communities and rural farms.

Entertainment and recreational options include the city's highly regarded symphony, ballet and Actors Theater of Louisville, the Speed Art Museum, University of Louisville collegiate sports, The Louisville Bats minor-league baseball team and one of the nation's finest systems of urban parks, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture.

Louisville also plays host to a wide variety of regional celebrations, including the St. James Court Art Fair and the Kentucky Derby Festival — two weeks of non-stop entertainment that ranges from the quirky to the sophisticated, with signature events like a paddle-wheel riverboat race, Southern-style galas and one of the country's premier air shows, all leading up to the most exciting two minutes in sports: The Kentucky Derby.

With such a vibrant quality of life, Louisville is a great place to call home. For more about Louisville, visit Greater Louisville Inc., the Metro Chamber of Commerce. 

Louisville is located on the banks of the Ohio River in north-central Kentucky and is readily accessible by three Interstate highways, I-64, I-65 and I-71. Louisville International Airport also offers direct service to and from major destinations across the United States. For local transportation, The Transit Authority of River City operates an extensive network of bus routes across Louisville and surrounding counties, including locations in Southern Indiana.

Louisville is just a day-trip away from several mid-west destinations:

• Cincinnati, OH - 105 miles
• Indianapolis, IN - 115 miles
• St. Louis, MO - 260 miles
• Nashville, TN - 175 miles
• Chicago, IL - 296 miles

Curriculum

• All blocks have protected time for a half-day per week of didactics and a half-day per week for long term therapy patients.  Second year fellows also have a half-day per week for medication continuity clinic. 

• You will have the opportunity to evaluate youth in the ED who are presenting for psychiatric emergencies that are worked into various rotations.

• Community Mental Health Rotation includes experience in a crisis stabilization unit as well as a psychiatric residential treatment center.

• Consult/Liaison Rotation includes an experience with pediatric neurology one half day per week

• Community and Integration Rotation includes experiences in integrated care in a pediatric primary care clinic as well as school based services experiences.
• Elective rotation can include experiences from a variety of areas including eating disorders, autism, hematology/oncology, advocacy and policy work, administration at the clinic, hospital or academic level, and other areas as interest arises.
  

By The Numbers

1913:  The year our outpatient clinic was founded, making it one of the oldest child guidance clinics in the country.  The original name was the Bingham Child Guidance Center and was located on the same street that it is currently located.

1962:  The year the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program was first accredited by the ACGME.

234: The number of combined years of experience since the end of training among the faculty members in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology to help you become well rounded psychiatrists.

20:  The number of faculty members in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology who are invested in the education of our fellows.

 9:  Specifically the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists here to welcome you as part of their Louisville family while you complete your fellowship training.

 3:  The number of psychology interns each year who will also be part of your cohort and your multidisciplinary team as you help each other manage patients during your fellowship training.

 <2:  The average number of total weekend days per month you will have to "work" during your fellowship training (typically a Saturday morning to help with rounding on the inpatient unit). 

 1:  The average number of nights per month you will spend taking pager call from home during your fellowship training.

 0:  The number of nights you will spend in the hospital doing overnight call during your fellowship training.