Continuing Medical Education

Visiting Fellowship in Electroconvulsive Therapy ​

Illustration of brain neurons firing.

* Please note: For the duration of the COVID-19 Emergency, the Fellowship is being conducted online.

The Columbia Department of Psychiatry and the New York State Psychiatric Institute offer a visiting fellowship designed for psychiatrists, registered nurses, and other mental health providers who wish to enhance their knowledge of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). The objectives of the course are to provide the attendees with the skills required to perform state-of-the-art ECT and administer an ECT service. The course is a weeklong, 8am - 5pm program that permits fellows to receive hands-on experience in the actual administration of ECT under expert supervision. Didactic sessions with the ECT faculty of Columbia University cover topics relevant to running an ECT service, as well as new developments in seizure threshold, titration, stimulus dosing and post-ECT maintenance treatment. Trainees are exposed to ECT in a variety of settings: a stand-alone ECT suite; a recovery room setting; a state facility; and a private facility.

Faculty and Disclosures

Joan Prudic, MD
Course Director
Director of ECT
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute
Disclosures:  None

Shailendra Joshi, MD
Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology

Columbia University

Disclosures: None


Joshua Berman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
Columbia University
Disclosures: None


Judith Kleber, LCSW, MSW

Supervisor in Clinical Social Work

Columbia University

Disclosures: None


Tarique Perera, MD
Private Practice Psychiatrist

Contemporary Care, LLC 
Disclosures: Tarique Perera is a member of the Speakers Bureau for Sunovion and Otsuka Pharmaceutical, and he is in Private Practice at Contemporary Care.


Stefan Rowny, MD
Instructor in Clinical Psychiatry
Columbia University, Department of Psychiatry 
Disclosures: None

CME Accreditation/AMA Category 1 Credit

The New York State Office of Mental Health’s Bureau of Psychiatric Services and Research Institute Support is accredited by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The New York State Office of Mental Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 33.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Course Materials

* Please note: For the duration of the COVID-19 Emergency, lecture materials will be provided electronically to registered attendees during the course. 

At the conclusion of the course, attendees receive a certificate of participation. After the course, a NYS OMH CME certificate awarding a maximum of 33.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ is sent. Each attendee will be provided with a copy of the APA Task Force Guidelines on ECT, a CD containing the lecture slides and readings, course evaluation and self-assessment materials, and other handouts. 

Registration

The course is open to physicians and nurses in the U.S. and abroad. This program is provided by the New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. Please note that our courses are kept small and usually fill up months in advance.

Please be aware that we can only reserve seats upon receiving payment in the mail (or via wire for those residing outside of the United States). Please contact Samantha Hassett at sch2143@cumc.columbia.edu to confirm availability for registration in your preferred course prior to mailing payment. If you have not confirmed course availability prior to mailing payment, your payment may not be processed and may be returned to you by USPS. 

Registration Form: Please submit our online registration form, then print out and return the completed form, along with your full payment, to Joan Prudic, MD, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 126, New York, NY 10032. Please be aware that we can only reserve seats upon receiving payment in the mail. Please contact Samantha Hassett at sch2143@cumc.columbia.edu after mailing payment, so that we can confirm receipt of your registration materials.

Payment: We accept checks drawn on U.S. banks. For those coming from outside the U.S., we also accept payment via wire transfer.

* Please allow several weeks for processing of mailed payment and registration forms as the shift from on-campus operations to remote work is anticipated to result in some delay.

Cancellations: Cancellations less than one month prior to each course’s start date will incur a 10% cancellation fee. The course registration fee is $3,000. Course enrollment is limited, and spots can only be reserved for those sending in full payment. Early enrollment is encouraged, as course enrollment is limited. 

2022 Course Dates

This course is offered on the following dates in 2022:

  • January 24 - 28
  • April 25 - 29
  • July 25 - 29
  • October 24 - 28

Disclosure Policy Statement

The Bureau of Psychiatric Services and Research Institute Support (BPSRIS) relies upon faculty participants in its CME programs to provide educational information that is objective and free of bias. In this spirit, and in accordance with the guidelines of the MSSNY, faculty participants are expected to indicate any commercial relationship that might be perceived as a real or apparent conflict of interest.

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