UC Davis Medical Students receive didactics in cultural psychiatry and social determinants of mental health as part of their third-year clerkship in psychiatry. Mentorship is available for students interested in a career in psychiatry and those who have an interest in cultural psychiatry.

Internships and clerkships for fourth-year medical students

Acting Internship in Inpatient Psychiatry (PSY 420) — Students work with an interdisciplinary team to evaluate patients’ medical and psychiatric appropriateness for involuntary hospitalization. Emphasis is on biological psychiatry, psychopharmacology and psychodynamic aspects appropriate to diagnosis and management of patients with recurrent depression, bipolar disorder, substance disorders, and chronically mentally ill patients.

Diversity Medical Student Visiting Clerkship in Psychiatry — This clerkship is for visiting fourth-year medical students from Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) backgrounds who are planning careers in psychiatry and have an interest in cultural psychiatry and mental health equity. Students will have opportunities to interact with residents and faculty in the department and within the health system.

More about the Diversity Medical Student Visiting Clerkship (PDF flyer)

Cultural psychiatry training in our local community

Sacramento is one of the most ethnically diverse and integrated metropolitan areas in the country. Our department has long recognized the importance of providing culturally relevant care through its commitment to cultural psychiatry training. As a result, UC Davis psychiatry residents receive robust training in working with diverse and marginalized patients across a variety of treatment settings at UC Davis and Sacramento county.

Our training sites

Take a deeper dive

The Evolution of Cultural Psychiatry

For an in-depth discussion on cultural psychiatry, read Ruth Shim, M.D., M.P.H.’s guest editorial, “The Evolution of Cultural Psychiatry” in Psychiatric Annals.