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Steve Herron, M.D.
Director of Psychiatry Residency Training Program
stherron@email.arizona.edu
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The philosophy of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program is fundamentally biopsychosocial. We strongly believe that proper understanding and successful treatment of psychiatric disorders is multi-dimensional, and usually requires a combination of biologic, psychological, and social approaches. Our educational program is designed to teach residents the fundamental skills required for certification and practice in general psychiatry. We also actively assist residents in developing their special interests, such as child psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and psychiatric research. We emphasize a strong academic orientation with attention to the excellence of the clinical rotations. Our residency program and departmental mission is to excel in education, research, and service. We believe that the cornerstone of an excellent residency lies in the fine balance of supervised clinical work, a stimulating and comprehensive didactic program, and exciting research opportunities, in a supportive and flexible environment.
The goal of the Psychiatry Residency Program is to enable residents to develop a broad range of psychiatric skills so they can effectively and competently practice psychiatry in a wide variety of settings. Residents develop these skills through caring for a wide range of patients of different ages, socioeconomic status, cultural background, and diagnoses in various clinical settings. Through systematic supervision and didactics, residents develop a proficient knowledge base in general psychiatry.
Psychiatry is one of the original departments in the College of Medicine, which was founded in 1967. To date, more than 2,200 students have graduated from The University of Arizona College of Medicine and the College presently has an enrollment of more than 360 full-time medical students. As the only College of Medicine in Arizona, the school is involved in modeling and promoting excellence in therapeutic innovations in primary and specialty patient care throughout the state. The Arizona Health Sciences Center complex consists of six interconnected buildings and adjoining structures on a 30 acre site just north of the main campus. Included are the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy, the Arizona Health Sciences Library and Learning Resource Center. In addition to these facilities are the Arizona Cancer Center, Children's Research Center, Imaging Center, University Medical Center, and Outpatient Clinics as well as clinical and basic science research sites.
Psychiatry residents rotate through several hospitals during the course of their residency. University Medical Center is the primary medical center for the education of medical students and residents; however, other sites are also utilized for training. UMC is a private, non-profit institution that operates under an education agreement with the Arizona Board of Regents which guarantees that the educational, service and research missions of the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy will not be compromised. An inpatient psychiatry unit and psychiatry outpatient clinic are part of University Medical Center. The Veterans Administration Medical Center is a 325-bed Dean's Committee hospital located approximately 7 miles from the University of Arizona Medical School. Psychiatry residents rotate on neurology, internal Medicine, and psychiatry at the VA. University Physicians Hospital is an acute care inpatient facility supporting the public mental health system in Pima County. It has about 56 psychiatric beds divided into four units. Residents have an elective inpatient rotation at this hospital. The department has strong linkages to the public sector and residents are involved in residential and transitional services to the seriously mentally ill.
Tucson is part of the Sonoran Desert. Days here are warm; nights are mild year-round. With an average of 314 days of sunshine each year, Tucson is an ideal setting for bicycling, tennis, golf, hiking, swimming, and running. For those who prefer winter sports, the southern-most ski area in the United States lies just an hour's drive away in the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains, which rise 9,300 feet. Many visitors are surprised at the lushness of the Sonoran Desert, which is home to hundreds of varieties of endemic cacti, trees, and animals. In spring, the desert may be carpeted with wild flowers, and the summer rainy season brings dramatic lightning displays.
The metropolitan area boasts a symphony, opera and light opera companies, ballet and dance companies, several theaters, zoo, museums of art, natural history and Arizona history, major astronomical exploration centers, and the world-renowned Sonoran Desert Museum.
The greatest strength of our Department is its people: faculty, trainees, and staff. They are highly competent, enormously intelligent, passionately committed, supremely energetic, and function as a team. We are also fortunate to work within Arizona's College of Medicine and the University, which are known for cooperation and collaboration. Growing relationships with colleagues in other geographic areas, particularly in Phoenix, have augmented our teaching and research linkages. Networks throughout the Tucson area are expanding a supportive, collegial and cooperative atmosphere is nurtured in the Residency and is our biggest asset!
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