PGY2s
Farzaneh Farhadi, MD
Undergrad and MD, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Why did you choose UW Psychiatry?
I decided to pursue a psychiatry residency because I found myself most passionate about improving the quality of life. Among all my medical school rotations, psychiatry was the one I enjoyed the most. I wanted to train in a program that could nurture this interest and provide a variety of opportunities by allowing me to work with diverse care teams and patient populations. I have a deep love for teaching and wanted to be part of a program that offered teaching opportunities. As an IMG, an inclusive environment was also important to me. The fact that UW is like a big family of psychiatry residents was another appealing aspect. I admire how large and diverse each class is while still being warm and welcoming. Additionally, I hoped to learn and practice neuromodulation, psychotherapy, mental health justice, and leadership during my residency, and UW offers all these and more. Last but not least, I found Seattle to be a fantastic city to live in, with nature providing an abundance of blessings within minutes to a couple of hours of driving.
Career Goals
At this point, I have not yet decided on my specific career path. I believe my R2 year will be a valuable experience, exposing me to different rotations where I can discover my primary interests. As of now, I find myself intrigued by every psychiatry rotation I’ve undertaken so far!
Clinical Rotations
- 1 month of UW consultation/Liaison
- 1 month of Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry at Seattle Children’s Hospital
- 1 month of Northwest Hospital Inpatient Geropsych
- 1 month of VA consultation/Liaison
- 1 month of Psychiatric Emergency Services at Harborview Emergency Room
- 2 months of Harborview consultation/Liaison
- 3 months of Harborview Inpatient Psychiatry
- 6 weeks of night float
How many hours on average do you work each week?
I typically work between 50-65 hours per week.
How often do you work nights and weekends?
In the R2 year, we have a total of 6 weeks of night float (although you can choose to have 4 weeks with more weekend calls instead). This includes 6 nights per week of 14-15 hours of home call at UW or VA hospitals, although you may need to go to the hospital in person as required by hospital policy, which happens more often at the VA hospital. We also have weekend calls covering Sat/Sun at different sites, which on average amounts to a total of 16 calls per year.
Sunday
Daytime: sleep in, enjoy a lazy morning, have brunch with friends, do some grocery shopping, and return home to read the book we chose for the book club we have with my lovely co-residents.
Evening: I cook dinner and watch a series.
Monday
Morning and afternoon: Get up around 7 am, leave by 8 am, take public transport to NWH, and arrive by 8:30. Grab a warm tea from the cafeteria, pre-chart on patients, discuss patients with my amazing attending, and round on our patients. Work on notes and learn from my attending’s chalk talks. Head home once I’m done with notes.
Evening: Go to Nouveau bakery, get some pastries and sandwiches, take a walk in the drizzly weather, have dinner, and video call with my family.
Tuesday
Morning and afternoon: Arrive at NWH around 8:30 AM, learn about an interesting new patient, enjoy the teaching provided by my attending, and leave around 11:30 AM for clinic. See my patient for supportive psychotherapy, attend the seminar to learn more about supportive psychotherapy, and discuss our sessions with our attending and co-residents in the CLS group. Have my supervision with my off-ward supervisor.
Evening: Head home, cook some dinner, and take some time to rest.
Wednesday
Morning and afternoon: Arrive at NWH around 8:30 AM, learn about two interesting new patients, round on patients, and discuss their course of illness with my attending. Attend the teaching by my attending on brain lateralization and work on notes.
Evening: Head home, take a short walk, have a friend over, and enjoy some evening tea and dinner.
Thursday
Morning and afternoon: We have PRITE this morning, so I’m at UW by 7:45 AM. I have some breakfast before the test, take the test, and have some free time before noon, time to enjoy lunch with co-residents.
Evening: I have to leave for an appointment and then go home. Have some fruits and video call with my family.
Friday
Morning and afternoon: See a new patient by myself, evaluate her, and call her daughter for collateral information. It’s an interesting case and I later present to my attending. We discuss possible differentials and prognosis. My attending teaches me about dementia and what we know so far, as well as how much we still don’t know. He also suggests that I can attend an ECT session with my patient next Friday, which I’m excited about.
Evening: Hang out with some friends at a bar in downtown and talk about concerts happening in Seattle in the fall.
Saturday
Daytime: Sleep in, have a power bar and tea, and go biking at Seattle Arboretum with friends. We enjoy the lovely colorful trees during fall, have coffee in the neighborhood in drizzly weather, and go back home. After changing, I meet friends for lunch.
Evening: Take some rest and hang out at two co-residents’ place before the football game. Then, head to the Husky stadium with co-residents and watch the game between the Huskies and California. Head back home and relax with some tea before bed.
Joey Mazzola, MD
BS, Anthropology, University of California, Davis
MD, University of California, Davis
Why did you choose UW Psychiatry?
World-class reputation, countless career opportunities and a vibrant city full of fun activities. I could not ask for more in a program. Another contributing factor to my decision to train at UW was the opportunity to work with and learn from a large and diverse residency class (none of my co-residents have the same area code!).
Career Goals
My career goals are constantly evolving (I love everything UW psych throws my way), but as of now I envision finishing child and adolescent fellowship then mixing in some CL/ interventional psychiatry work. Maybe dabble in some locums for a year or two after I finish my training as well 🙂
Clinical Rotations
- 1 month of inpatient child psychiatry at Seattle Children’s
- 2 months of inpatient adult psychiatry at Harborview Medical Center (HMC)
- 4 months of consult-liaison (2 at HMC, 1 at UW, 1 at Northwest Hospital)
- 1 month of inpatient adult psychiatry at VA Puget Sound
- 1 month in psychiatric emergency room
- 2 months of UW night float (includes 1 month of floating to other services/ being on call)
- 1 month of outpatient geriatric psychiatry at VA Puget Sound
How many hours on average do you work each week?
Varies on which rotation I am on but I would say 45-50 hrs/ week.
How often do you work nights and weekends?
R2s at our program complete a total of 6 weeks of night float, which includes 5 nights per week of 14 hour home call shifts covering UW or VA hospitals. We also have scattered call shifts throughout the year on Friday nights, and Sat/Sun days or nights — these occur about twice a month.
Sunday
Daytime: a trip to West Seattle for a walk along Alki beach, Nikkos teriyaki and then some shopping at Trader Joes. Mandatory nap after!
Evening: cook a meal (probably high in carbs and comfy in my tummy) followed by a movie
Monday
Morning and afternoon: Wake up and go to the gym around 0530, practice some Spanish, shower, and head to work to get sign out by 0745. Round on my patients, put in orders/ consults. Finish up some notes and sign out around 4 pm.
Evening: Change into some comfy clothes. Call my friends/ family. Cook some food and then go for a walk. Do some light reading and practice the piano. Bed around 2200
Tuesday
Morning and afternoon: Same morning routine as Monday. Afternoon I head to see my supportive therapy patient and debrief w/ my supervisor.
Evening: Similar to Monday!
Wednesday
Morning and afternoon: Repeat of Monday 🙂
Thursday
Morning and afternoon: Didactic day! 0800-1200 at UW. Breakfast and lunch always provided.
Friday
Morning and afternoon: See Monday
Evening: usually meet up w/ my friends (often my co-residents) for some food or ice-cream (any time of the year). If no call on the weekend then I’ll go do some dancing/ socializing in Capitol Hill.
Saturday
Daytime: Sleep in! Maybe do some cardio then come back to shower and lay on the couch/ watch TV. Clean up the house, do some laundry, all the ADLs.
Evening: I usually keep this open and do whatever my heart desires (rest of my week is quite regimented so I like having some flexibility built in).
PGY3s
Michael Silva, MD
DEI Lead
Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA (suburb of Los Angeles)
Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of USC
Interests in Psychiatry
Integrated Care, Community Psychiatry, Antiracism, Leadership, Anything involving the interface between Psychiatry and Non-psychiatry Medicine
Favorite thing about UW
UW is special for its passionate faculty who care deeply about the future of psychiatry and advocating for people with mental illness, and for its pioneering of the interface between psychiatry and non-psychiatry medicine, especially in the Collaborative Care Model. Seattle is also a gorgeous city surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature in the world, allowing a perfect opportunity for escape when things get busy.
Plans for after residency
I’m still trying to work out what exactly I want to do after residency. I’m considering a CL fellowship or Integrated Care fellowship. I want to teach residents and medical students, and continue doing DEI/Antiracism work. I love the outpatient setting and am considering doing psychotherapy and integrated care as well.
Claire Oduwo, MD
Noon Rapport Co-Leader
BS, Neuroscience, University of Nebraska-Omaha
MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Why did you choose UW Psychiatry?
I chose UW because I wanted to go to a large residency where I would have the chance to meet many peers and mentors to enhance my residency experience. UW also has multiple clinical locations that serve diverse populations that I was interested in working with. I also fell in love with the beauty of Seattle and the PNW which was a pleasant bonus after spending most of my life in the Midwest!
Career Goals
I am hoping to work in a community setting with underserved populations. I am also thinking about pursuing a fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry. I am involved in our resident union RFPU-NW/CIR and I hope to continue working in advocacy to improve physician working conditions.
Clinical Rotations
- Transplant Psychiatry
- Seattle Children’s Autism Center
- Washington Physicians Health Program
- Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic (OPC)
How many hours on average do you work each week?
40 hours
How often do you work nights and weekends?
Night and weekend shifts are mostly training call shifts with interns. About 6 shifts every 6 months.
Sunday
Daytime: I like to spend time outside, going on walks, grocery shopping, and preparing meals for the week.
Evening: I review patients and complete relevant readings for cases over the next week. I also catch up on emails and make a schedule for the week
Monday
Morning and afternoon: I spend the morning in Transplant clinic completing psychiatric consultations for patients in various stages of the transplantation process. Afternoons are spent at my continuity clinic at OPC where I see follow up patients for medication management and psychotherapy.
Evening: I finish notes from the day, go to the gym, eat dinner, and watch my favorite reality TV show of the season. Some weeks, I attend our resident union meetings.
Tuesday
Morning and afternoon: I spend a full clinic day at Seattle Children’s Autism Center.
Evening: I finish notes from the day, go to the gym, and eat dinner.
Wednesday
Morning and afternoon: I spend the mornings participating in telemedicine evaluations with the Washington Physician’s Health Program. The afternoon is academic time where I work on coordinating meetings for our Thursday resident Noon Rapport meetings.
Evening: I complete readings from clinics and other papers, go to the gym, and then eat dinner.
Thursday
Morning and afternoon: I spend the morning in didactics including attending T group and Noon Rapport. The afternoon is spent in supervision for my psychotherapy cases.
Evening: I go to the gym, catch up on emails for the week while watching a movie, and eat dinner.
Friday
Morning and afternoon: I spend the morning completing intakes at the OPC clinic. The afternoons are spent in supervision for my cases, seminar for CBT, and follow up appointments for medication management and psychotherapy patients.
Evening: I spend most evenings relaxing at home and making a nice meal. Sometimes I meet up with friends in town for dinner or watch the sunset at a park.
Saturday
Daytime: Sleep in then I make myself a nice breakfast. I go for a walk on the waterfront in downtown Seattle. Sometimes, I take a day trip to explore nature outside of Seattle.
Evening: Go out to dinner or a show with friends.
PGY4s
Marlene Tai, MD
Chief Resident for Research
Hometown: Bloomington, IN
Med school: Indiana University
Interests in Psychiatry
Clinical research in psychedelics, adult outpatient psychiatry, PTSD, schizophrenia
Favorite thing about UW
The quality of mentorship and training you get at UW is unparalleled! Everyone here is so passionate about what they do, and with so many different clinical sites and rotations, it truly feels like a choose-your-own-adventure kind of experience. I also love the flexibility and support that the research track has given me in getting dedicated research time and creating a schedule that suits my needs. The residency program as a whole has been so accommodating and made it easy for me to take extended time off when things came up in my personal life, which I’m super grateful for!
Plans for after residency
I will be pursuing a clinical research fellowship after graduating! I want to learn how psychedelics work synergistically with psychotherapy to facilitate mood and behavioral changes, potentially transforming the way we treat psychiatric illness. Then we’ll see after that – hopefully continuing to move the field of psychedelics forward through research and clinical care!
James Lee, MD
Chief Resident for Harborview Medical Center
BS, Cognitive Science, Yale College
MD, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Why did you choose UW Psychiatry?
I applied to Psychiatry with the intent of working with underserved communities, specifically LGBTQ+ folks and people with severe mental illness, and I wanted to leave residency with absolute confidence in my ability to treat patients from all walks of life. I love UW Psychiatry because of the richness of its training, with the opportunity to rotate through four very different hospitals (from a saturated safety-net hospital to a revolutionary research institution to a world-renowned children’s hospital to a well-established VA), in addition to numerous other community organizations throughout Seattle (e.g. ACRS, Assertive Community Treatment teams, UW Student Mental Health, Consejo, Eating Recovery Center, etc.). Also, Seattle is a beacon for queerness and weirdness – it’s my favorite city.
Career Goals
I’m currently applying for Consultation-Liaison fellowship this year, looking to gain expertise in LGBTQ+ mental health (e.g. HIV psychiatry, chemsex), patient advocacy, and interdisciplinary community-building. Long-term goals involve working in acute care settings as a C-L psychiatrist, working closely with Asian and queer populations. Teaching is also part of my lifeblood, so I hope to stay involved in trainee education and working on recruitment for future psychiatrists.
Clinical Rotations
- Monday: UW Outpatient Continuity Clinic, Chief Time
- Tuesday: Downtown Emergency Services Center’s Program of Assertive Community Treatment (DESC PACT)
- Wednesday: Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS), UW Outpatient Continuity Clinic
- Thursday: Didactics, Supervision, Hypnosis Seminar – no clinical duties
- Friday: CBT for Insomnia, Madison HIV Clinic
How many hours on average do you work each week?
40h/week
How often do you work nights and weekends?
5-6 twelve-hour shifts per year
Sunday
Daytime: Sunday mornings are for *brunch*, typically with my gay friend group (The Gaggle) here in Seattle. On nicer days, we picnic out at Volunteer Park.
Evening: A quiet night in, meeting every other week with my writing group to discuss some of our recent fiction pieces.
Monday
Morning and afternoon: My morning is spent on HMC inpatient chief duties, like coordinating our weekly noon conference and attending our service’s QI conference. In the afternoon, I see patients in my continuity clinic, where I have one patient each for learning various psychotherapy modalities (CBT, psychodynamic, supportive), in addition to a variety of medication management patients.
Evening: Go to a rehearsal for a new play – I get to act again after taking an eight-year hiatus from the stage!
Tuesday
Morning and afternoon: I’m currently rotating through DESC PACT, which is our assertive community treatment team. I get to meet patients in their homes and really try to meet them where they’re at. It’s an intensely humbling yet rewarding experience.
Evening: As Tuesdays are my most tiring day, I usually spend the evenings just decompressing with my Nintendo Switch. Hades and Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have been entertaining me tremendously.
Wednesday
Morning and afternoon: I’m back at my continuity clinic in the morning to see some more patients. Afterwards, I have time in the afternoons for my scholarly projects and admin, including coordinating our Admissions Committee and research projects.
Evening: As we don’t have clinical responsibilities on Thursday mornings, Wednesday evenings are usually dedicated to hanging out with my corezzies, whether it’s grabbing a boba or happy hour together.
Thursday
Morning and afternoon: Didactics and supervision! Learning about a wide variety of topics in the morning, followed by a relatively free afternoon to attend my Hypnosis Seminar and supervision.
Evening: Take a walk with Volunteer Park with a friend or FaceTiming with my long-distance partner in Boston.
Friday
Morning and afternoon: The Madison Clinic serves patients living with HIV, and I get a peek into psychosomatic medicine, thinking about how mental illness interfaces with chronic medical illness.
Evening: Board game night with a mixture of co-residents and friends outside of medicine. Favorite games include Wingspan (with the Oceania Expansion – SO good), Fantastic Factories, and Azul.
Saturday
Daytime: Mostly lazing about. Some more rehearsals for my play, in addition to dancing in my gym’s studio.
Evening: Grabbing dinner with friends, followed by an evening of vigorous dancing!