Trainee Complaint Procedures
We expect that our trainees and faculty, as members of the Columbia University community, both those participating remotely or in person, will uphold the highest standards of respect, integrity, and civility. These core values are key components of the university experience and reflect the community’s expectations of its members. (For more information, please see the University’s website.)
If a trainee is experiencing significant obstacles in learning, or a trainee or teacher experiences another member of the community as not upholding these standards, the problem should be addressed directly with that member. If the matter is not resolved, the Center has in place a four-tiered system of intervention, decision making, and appeal:
- Matters between teacher and student are first referred back to the teacher and student to resolve with facilitation by the chair of training, if necessary. We encourage those involved to address the matter directly and attempt to arrive at a resolution jointly.
- Any matter not resolved at that level should be referred to the training committee (see Committees below) for exploration and resolution.
- Should the training committee’s resolution not be satisfactory to any of the parties involved, the matter may be appealed to the Center’s director.
- Anyone wishing to appeal the director’s decision may initiate an external appeal to the Department of Psychiatry’s Vice Chair for Education, Melissa Arbuckle, MD.