Residency + PhD Program: Structure

"This program is unique in that it allows for in‐depth exploration of both the complexity of the human experience and the biology of the mind." —Lauren Lepow, MD (current PGY-4, PhD candidate)

Five Program Components

  1. Completion of all clinical rotations/experiences required for Board Certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; attendance at core didactics of the Residency Program.
  2. Completion of all coursework, examinations, research activities and thesis requirements of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai for the PhD degree in Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences (Genetics and Genomics), or Clinical Research (Clinical Trials, Outcomes Implementation, Bench to Bedside and Molecular Epidemiology tracks).
  3. Dual mentorship, with true integration of PhD work with one’s clinical psychiatry training, including protected time for PhD thesis research while maintaining one’s clinical skills. 
  4. A program customized to one’s personal career goals, with flexible adjustment of experiences and objectives over the course of one’s training, including close mentorship, training in research and grant writing, scientific career-building activities (presenting at meetings; joining professional organizations), and connecting with other scientists (including those in our Physician-Scientist Track, other doctoral candidates, and other neuroscientists at Mount Sinai and beyond).
  5. A supportive community of fellow clinicians and physician-scholars within the Mount Sinai Health System, the largest health care provider in New York City. 

Total Research, Clinical, and Didactic Activities over 7 Years

Clinical experiences are front-loaded and continue throughout the 7 years. PGY-1 is a full intern year devoted to meeting residency requirements in Primary Care, Neurology, and Inpatient Psychiatry. For each of the following 6 years, 50% is hospital-supported “residency time” and 50% is NIMH-supported “PhD time.” The residency time includes core clinical training, core residency didactics, and research electives; the PhD time is used for PhD didactics and research. Total research-related time is 55 months (4.6 years) and is appropriate for completing a PhD. PhD+ Residents attend core didactics with residency classmates in Years 1-3; they do not attend in year 4 and beyond, unless they wish to.

View a sample 7-year Residency + PhD schedule.