Research and Fellowship Opportunities

The Department of Psychiatry at Columbia is one of the leading research departments in the country and annually ranks within the top three recipients of federally-funded research grants. Part of the Department is the New York State Psychiatric Institute—a facility dedicated to research including over 25 funded research beds and up-to-date imaging capabilities. The Department has over 450 full-time faculty. The range of research in Psychiatry at Columbia is broad, encompassing divisions devoted to the neurobiology of learning and mental function, genetics, the psychobiology of psychiatric disorders and psychiatric diagnosis. Treatment research includes one of the largest programs in the study of psychotherapy and pharmacological treatments for affective, anxiety, eating and psychotic disorders, as well as divisions studying brain stimulation techniques, mental health services and policy, law, ethics in psychiatry, substance abuse and many others. In addition to research within the Department of Psychiatry, a broad array of world-class researchers in all aspects of neuroscience across the Columbia campus are open to working with residents interested in pursuing more basic research, from cellular and molecular neuroscience to brain imaging and cognition. Visit the Columbia Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior site for a listing of Neuroscience Faculty at Columbia.

Integrating Scholarly Pursuits into Residency Education (InSPIRE)

The Columbia InSPIRE program is a three-day interactive conference for incoming Columbia Psychiatry residents. Scheduled immediately prior to the July 1, 2022 internship start date, the program is intended to support these residents as they begin their training and to help launch them as developing scholars. 

As John Young et al. described recently, Each July, newly minted physicians arrive for residency training with their unique professional aspirations, dreams, and hopes. These aspirations often extend beyond the role of clinician to roles such as researcher, advocate, educator, innovator, or leader. Nurturing professional development in these areas is essential in order to graduate physicians who are passionate about their work and equipped to innovate….More than ever, society needs physicians who are engaged in their work, i.e., experience meaning and purpose, and who are engaged in inquiry and innovation, i.e., participate authentically in scholarship of discovery, integration, teaching, and/or application (Academic Psychiatry 2020).

The Columbia Department of Psychiatry is a vibrant research community.  From exploring the underlying mechanisms of learning and memory to addressing healthcare disparities in clinical settings, the opportunities for residents to conduct scholarship related to their own interests in psychiatry are almost endless! 

Through the InSPIRE program, first year residents will gain exposure to the vast array of psychiatric research underway at Columbia and learn about specific opportunities for getting involved. Those with a clear research interest will have protected time during the program to meet with potential mentors. Those without a research background will have an opportunity to learn more about how they might integrate scholarship into their future careers as psychiatrists. All incoming residents, regardless of their background or future plans, will be offered an opportunity to join in this elective program and will be provided with a $1000 stipend for participation. 

The inaugural year of this program has been made possible by a generous donation in memory of Robert Warren Haber-Gilbert and Muriel Haber.

Research During Residency

Columbia's extensive resources provide exceptional opportunities for all residents to engage in research, whether you arrive with plans for a research career or develop interests during training. The General Residency Track offers substantial protected time for residents to learn or advance research skills while building their clinical foundation. PGY3 residents can select a research selective comprising 20% of their third year, and those seeking additional research experience can incorporate a research elective into their customized PGY4 curriculum.

Research Track

The Columbia Psychiatry Residency Research Track is designed for residents who are committed to pursuing careers as physician-scientists and academic psychiatrists, with the goal of dedicating a significant portion of their professional effort to research after residency. The track provides a structured, longitudinal pathway that integrates exceptional clinical training with individualized mentorship, protected research time, and career development.

The track is intentionally flexible. It is designed to support both residents with extensive prior research experience—including those with PhDs or other advanced research training—and residents with an emerging interest in research who aspire to incorporate scholarship into their careers. By emphasizing individualized mentorship and longitudinal skill development, the program provides an effective on-ramp to research for trainees from diverse backgrounds.

Residents benefit from the extraordinary research environment of Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), where investigators are advancing discovery across the full spectrum of psychiatric research—including basic and translational neuroscience, clinical and translational research, health services research, implementation science, global mental health, health policy, ethics, and community-based participatory research.

Research Track residents begin engaging with research early in residency. During the PGY-1 year, residents have the opportunity to work in clinical research units, providing firsthand exposure to ongoing research while building a strong foundation in clinical psychiatry. The first two years of residency are primarily devoted to developing outstanding clinical skills while identifying research mentors, refining research interests, and creating an individualized scholarly development plan.

This early preparation allows residents to maximize dedicated research time during the senior years of training. Residents may devote up to 40% of their time to research during the PGY-3 year and up to 80% during the PGY-4 year, enabling them to make meaningful progress on research projects while continuing to develop as exceptional clinicians.

The program provides robust support for scholarly development. Residents receive individualized mentorship, participate in research seminars and career development activities, and gain experience designing studies, analyzing data, presenting their work, publishing manuscripts, and preparing competitive fellowship and career development applications.

Research Track residents conducting research may request up to $5,000 annually in research support during the PGY-3 year. PGY-4 residents with 80% protected research time may request up to $10,000 annually to support their scholarly activities. In addition, residents receive an annual travel stipend to present their work and attend national scientific meetings.

One of the unique strengths of the Columbia Research Track is the opportunity to seamlessly continue research training after residency. Graduates are well positioned to transition directly into one of Columbia's nine NIH-funded T32 postdoctoral research fellowships, allowing them to continue working with established mentors and research teams for an additional two to three years as they prepare for independent research careers.

Why Columbia?

• An unparalleled research environment. Conduct research within one of the nation's premier psychiatric research enterprises, spanning basic neuroscience through implementation science and health policy.
• Early immersion in research. Gain exposure to clinical research units beginning in the PGY-1 year while developing strong clinical foundations.
• Individualized mentorship. Work with internationally recognized investigators to develop a personalized research and career development plan.
• A pathway for every aspiring researcher. Whether you arrive with years of research experience or are discovering a passion for research during residency, the track provides mentorship and flexibility tailored to your goals.
• Substantial protected research time. Build a longitudinal research program with up to 40% protected time in PGY-3 and up to 80% in PGY-4.
• Generous research support. Access research funding, annual travel support, and opportunities to present scholarship at national meetings.
• A seamless pathway to postdoctoral training. Continue your research through one of Columbia's nine NIH-funded T32 postdoctoral fellowships, providing a bridge to faculty positions and independent research funding.

How to Apply

Applicants interested in the Research Track should complete a Research Track Interest Form during the residency application process. We do not require a separate ERAS application for the Research Track. Because there is no fixed number of Research Track positions, there is also no separate NRMP match number. Residents who join the track receive the same outstanding clinical training as all Columbia Psychiatry residents while participating in additional research opportunities tailored to their career goals.

How to Learn More

Applicants interested in the research track should contact David Leonardo, el367@cumc.columbia.edu. Research track residents interested in Child Psychiatry may participate in the Schaeffer Scholars Program (see below).

Research Fellowships

Following Residents interested in a research career, the next step in career development is a research fellowship. Within the Department of Psychiatry there are eleven NIMH-funded, post-residency research training programs in the areas of affective, anxiety and eating disorders; schizophrenia; late-life neuropsychiatric disorders; child psychiatry; substance abuse; HIV infection; psychobiological sciences; genetic analysis; neurobehavioral sciences; psychiatric epidemiology; and neuropsychology and cognition in aging. Fellows in these training programs are funded for two-to-four years to work with their mentor to develop research skills and a program of independent work. The broad range and success of these fellowships provide an important stepping stone for the careers of our graduates. Residency applicants already committed to a research career should consider the residency and research fellowship programs together and conceptualize entering the residency program and six to seven years later emerging as Junior Faculty. Additional information regarding the research fellowships is available.

Clinical Fellowships

Graduating Residents also have many clinical fellowship opportunities to consider. In addition to the research fellowship programs, there is Columbia fellowship training in consultation-liaison psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, public psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, women’s mental health, and advanced training and certification in psychoanalysis at Columbia’s preeminent Psychoanalytic Institute. Note that research-track options are available within our clinical training fellowships in consultation-liaison psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry (including the Shaffer Scholars Program described below). Visit our site for more information about clinical fellowships available at Columbia.

The Shaffer Scholars Program in Child Psychiatry Research

The Shaffer Scholars Program in Child Psychiatry Research is a unique opportunity for child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) residents in our NewYork-Presbyterian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program to pursue an in-depth research pathway. The program addresses a critical shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists who pursue research as a significant part of their careers.

Under the umbrella of the NewYork-Presbyterian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Shaffer Scholars receive substantial targeted research mentorship and support from world-renowned faculty at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and at Weill Cornell Medicine. With our multi-institutional partnership, we draw on an incredible breadth and depth of research expertise and infrastructure, supporting Scholars’ diverse research interests ranging from molecular neurobiology to implementation science.

During this three-year training opportunity, Shaffer Scholars split their second year of clinical training into two years, receiving 50% protected time for research in both of these years.  Recognizing the importance of clinically-grounded research, this schedule optimizes Shaffer Scholars’ clinical training and research training. Comprehensive mentorship and individualized research experiences prepare Shaffer Scholars for successful career trajectories as physician-researchers.  Advantages of this three-year schedule also include supplemental financial support during the second and third years of training and key guidance in developing research grant and career development award applications. 

The Application Process

Application to the Shaffer Scholars Program requires an application to the NewYork-Presbyterian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program. We welcome interest in the Scholars’ Program from a range of applicants—from those with a passion but little prior research experience to those with an additional research degree (e.g., MD/PhD).

Like our CAP residency program as a whole, the Shaffer Scholars Program welcomes the recruitment and training of applicants with racial, ethnic, or other identities that are under-represented in child and adolescent psychiatry. 

Additional Information

For more information about the Shaffer Scholars Program, please contact Sue Rosenthal at sue.rosenthal@nyspi.columbia.edu.