TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences is launching a new residency program to address the critical need for psychiatrists in the state.
The newly accredited UA Tuscaloosa Psychiatry Residency Program is a four-year program for medical school graduates that will prepare board-eligible residents in psychiatry. The residency will allow for six residents each year, with the first class to start June 2026.
Dr. James Reeves, who will direct the Tuscaloosa Psychiatry Residency, said the program will expand mental health services by producing well-trained psychiatrists who understand the needs of communities in West Alabama.
“There has always been and continues to be a demand for mental health services that is not being met,” said Reeves, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine with CCHS. “We hope to finally address this with highly trained psychiatrists who will improve the mental health of those in need.”
Alabama has the lowest ratio of all states of mental health providers per capita, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The state has a higher suicide rate than the national average and high rates of depression and substance abuse.
“Our patients and the community will benefit tremendously from this new program, as the need for mental health services and psychiatrists is greater now more than ever,” Dr. Richard Friend, dean of CCHS, said.
Residents will be provided opportunities to learn and work alongside skilled and experienced medical professionals in inpatient and outpatient practice settings, including urban medical centers and smaller and rural community sites.
Practice sites include the Tuscaloosa-based DCH Regional Medical Center’s inpatient unit and psychiatry emergency room. Residents will work in community mental health at Indian Rivers Behavioral Health in Tuscaloosa and rural psychiatry at Project Horseshoe Farms in Greensboro. Residents will have addiction psychiatry rotations at Bradford Health Service’s rehabilitation unit in Warrior.
The psychiatry residency joins the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, also operated by CCHS. The College also provides the third and fourth years of clinical education for a portion of UAB Heersink School of Medicine students.
The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is the state’s flagship university. UA shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, UA provides a forward-thinking environment and over 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus. A leader in cutting-edge research, UA advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. As the state’s largest higher education institution, UA drives economic growth in Alabama and beyond.
Contact
Leslie Zganjar, UA College of Community Health Sciences, lzganjar@ua.edu