Purpose: To promote the development of HIV Psychiatrists in Ontario, and to enhance mental health literacy for physicians in other specialties caring for patients with HIV.
The resident will be trained at a wide variety of clinical sites, where they will participate in the mental health care of the patient with HIV and mental illness, including essential collaborations with allied health care providers, community mental health workers, and primary care/ID physicians across community and hospital settings.
This program has been developed as a partnership between Mount Sinai Hospital Department of Psychiatry and the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, and any resident in an Ontario postgraduate training program is eligible to apply.
Additional Details:
- Flexible opportunities for longitudinal (1 day per week, yearly) or block elective time (2 weeks – 3 months) in diverse HIV Psychiatry clinical settings in Toronto
- Diverse clinical sites including:
- Mount Sinai Hospital – Clinic for HIV-related Concerns linked to Who We Are
- St Michael’s Hospital and community partners (Casey House, LOFT) linked to Who We Are
- University Health Network linked to Who We Are
- Learning goals co-defined between learner and supervisor, with broad range of possible opportunities to develop key competencies (click here for competency-based learning objectives)
- Eligibility: PGY2 resident or above enrolled in an Ontario Postgraduate training program, applicant must be eligible to apply for an away elective at University of Toronto (click here for more details) https://pg.postmd.utoronto.ca/applicants/apply-for-elective-training/
- Residents from outside of the GTA may be eligible to apply for additional funding to support temporary housing during elective experience.
- Participating residents are eligible to apply for funds to support scholarly work that results from clinical or research endeavors at the interface of HIV and mental health. e3?
- For more information about opportunities, or how to apply, contact Dr. Deanna Chaukos: [email protected]
Learning Opportunities:
Clinical opportunities with emphasis on gaining knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for:
- Psychiatric management of complexity: Develop an approach to assessment and longitudinal follow up for patients with HIV, mental illness and substance use disorder, including an understanding of risk/vulnerability and resilience factors as they relate to psychiatric and substance use disorders
- Cognitive testing and neuropsychiatric approach: Gain knowledge of the impact of HIV on the brain, including approach to cognitive screening, physical exam, and the role for neuro-imaging in diagnostics.
- Psychotherapy: Gain knowledge of diverse evidence-based treatments for mental illness (CBT, IPT, MI) pertinent to treatment of depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, etc. in patients with HIV. Further develop insight into trauma-informed approaches to care.
- Psychopharmacology: Gain knowledge of psychopharmacologic strategies for treating mental illness in patients with HIV, emphasizing coherence with HAART, pharmacologic targeting of symptoms prevalent in this population (i.e., fatigue, apathy, pain).
- Collaborative care: Recognition that quality mental health care requires collaboration across hospital and community providers, for integrated and patient-centered care.