Postgraduate
Curriculum and Residency Rotations
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada requires that all psychiatry residents must have “some experience” in developmental disabilities. At Western University, it is a requirement that all psychiatry residents spend at least two weeks on a rotation specific to developmental disabilities.
Additionally, psychiatry residents receive lectures in developmental disabilities during their PGY-3 lecture series in addition to seminar on the clinical assessment of people with developmental disabilities as part of the interviewing skills course.
Pediatric residents also receive teaching and supervision regarding developmental disabilities during their rotations at the Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI).
Elective rotations in developmental disabilities are available to family medicine residents.
Opportunties also exist for visiting electives for trainees within Ontario, Canada and internationally. The elective process on the Schulich website should be reviewed and followed when arranging an elective with Postgraduate Psychiatry at Western University.
The Department of Psychiatry at Western welcomes observerships for international students who wish to gain insight into the field of dual diagnosis; however, observerships have no university status as there is not an educational component to an observership. Observers have zero patient contact and no clinical activity. Medical practitioners who wish to arrange an observership can do so by contacting the faculty member directly. It is up to the individual faculty as to whether they have the time to provide an observership; if so, an "Observer Request Form", available on the Medical Affairs website, must be completed by the faculty, and the applicant will need to follow the process as outlined on the Medical Affairs website which explains the documents that must be submitted along with the form. Observerships are approved through Medical Affairs allowing the observer to be present in clinical areas of the hospital.
Awards and Grants Available to Postgraduate Students
The Annual Dr. Benjamin Goldberg Research Award
This grant is available to anyone registered as a student at a community college or university in Southwestern Ontario. It provides seed grants to students who seek to gain a better understanding of the health and mental health conditions of people living with intellectual disabilities.
The C. Kingsley Allison Research Grant
This award is open to any student, faculty member or employee of the Western University Community. This grant is intended to fund any and all research projects which are of relevance to the understanding of the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For more information about any or all of these grant and award opportunities, please visit our research page.
