In July 2021, the newly ACGME accredited four-year, Idaho-based UW Boise Psychiatry Residency Program will start training PGY1 residents! This program is an expansion of our very successful UW Idaho Psychiatry Residency two-year track which will phase out after it graduates its last class of residents in 2024. The four-year Boise Program, directed by Kirsten Aaland, MD, and housed in our department, will continue to recruit four residents per class initially and will grow to six residents per class in several years. Its mission is to train outstanding psychiatrists well-versed in the use of medications and psychotherapy to treat complicated psychiatric issues in both urban and rural populations. To maximize psychiatrists’ reach, the program focuses on consultation and integrated care models, training residents to expertly lead the mental health care team as well as advise primary care providers. There are robust experiences in child and adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and telepsychiatry to prepare graduates for the full scope of practice required in a rural setting. The program aims to foster leadership opportunities in Idaho’s medical systems and in local and state medical societies, promote interprofessional collaboration and scholarship, and create an educational climate that promotes the professional development of both faculty and trainees as life-long learners.

We welcome Kelsey Blanchard, MD, as the Associate Program Director for the UW Boise Psychiatry Residency Program and as the Assistant Program Director for the UW Residency Boise Idaho Track. Dr. Blanchard joined the Boise VA staff several months ago, coming to us from the Washington DC VA. In DC, she worked as an attending psychiatrist supervising medical students and residents from Georgetown and other DC VA-affiliated training programs. Dr. Blanchard has a strong interest in resident wellness and is enthusiastic about resident growth and development. She will be a tremendous addition to the team.