WellSpan Health has received initial accreditation to launch a psychiatry residency program to develop the next generation of psychiatrists to address shortages in behavioral healthcare locally and nationally. The four-year program will include six residents per year and consists of an extensive educational curriculum that includes clinical rotations across multiple settings and levels of care at WellSpan Health.

“WellSpan is proud to be the leading provider of behavioral healthcare services across our region, and with that also comes a responsibility to ensure we are doing all that we can to meet the needs of our patients,” says Dr. Ken Rogers, vice president and chief medical officer for behavioral health at WellSpan. “The support of this accrediting body allows us to develop a curriculum that will provide an educational pathway for the best and brightest to treat patients right here at WellSpan.”

The approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education means that WellSpan will welcome the first class of residents in July 2025. The program will primarily be based at WellSpan York Hospital with opportunities to rotate at WellSpan Philhaven, the organization’s behavioral health hospital in Mt. Gretna, Lebanon County. Dr. Arya Soman will serve as director of the psychiatry residency program.

“Mental health is a critical component of any individual’s overall health and wellbeing, and currently our nation is facing an ongoing shortage of psychiatrists,” said Dr. Soman. “Our psychiatry residency program is here to help meet that need, starting right here in our local community. We will offer supportive and comprehensive training that prepares residents to provide high quality, patient-centered care and to become excellent psychiatrists, passionate advocates and future leaders in psychiatry and healthcare.”

To learn more about the residency program, visit  https://www.wellspan.org/For-Healthcare-Professionals/Education-and-Development/Graduate-Medical-Education/Psychiatry-Residency