Global and Rural Psychiatry Track
Develop Expertise in Global and Rural Psychiatry
The Global and Rural Psychiatry Track is part of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Texas Tech Health El Paso. The track prepares fellows to provide culturally responsive psychiatric care, engage in mental health policy and advocacy, and assess and treat patients in border, rural, underserved and low-resource settings.
Our Commitment
The track is committed to developing culturally compassionate child and adolescent psychiatrists who are prepared to serve diverse communities in the United States and around the world.
Training in the Paso del Norte Region
El Paso, Ciudad Juárez and Las Cruces form the Paso del Norte region, a bilingual and binational community along the U.S.-Mexico border. Fellows train in a setting that includes Native American, military, refugee, immigrant, border and rural populations.
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, one of three federally recognized Native American tribes in Texas, is located near El Paso. The region also has a strong federal and military presence and serves people from diverse backgrounds from around the world.
Curriculum Highlights
- Continuity care at the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tigua Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic.
- Border health and rural medicine experiences through Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium projects, including Rural Telemedicine for Youth and Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine.
- Political asylum evaluation training under faculty supervision.
- Quarterly participation in a journal club or research seminar focused on global and cultural mental health.
- Attendance and participation in the annual Texas Tech Health El Paso Cultural Competency Conference.
- Completion of a scholarly or community project that may span the fellowship and be presented at a conference or prepared for publication.
- Development of expertise in a selected ethnicity, country or world region of interest, with work suitable for presentation or publication.
Topics Covered
- Ethical considerations in global psychiatry.
- Mental and physical health concerns unique to the border region and rural Texas.
- Access to care and the factors that perpetuate health disparities.
- Collaboration with traditional healers, faith healers and Indigenous leaders.
- Immigration-related concerns.
- Public policy, advocacy and activism.
- Psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, treatment and family psychoeducation within specific populations.
- Practical implementation of psychiatric care in low-resource settings.
- Building sustainable, reciprocal relationships with global and community organizations.
- The psychiatrization of distress and unmet basic needs.
- Conscious social inclusion in psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.
Competencies
Fellows are expected to develop the ability to:
- Establish rapport with families from different cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Assess, diagnose and treat psychiatric illnesses in a culturally competent manner.
- Recognize socioeconomic and cultural stressors and strengths affecting children and adolescents.
- Discuss stigmatized mental health topics and provide psychoeducation in culturally appropriate ways.
- Understand health disparities, including racial bias in evidence-based medicine and clinical practice.
- Address mental health concerns unique to the border region, rural Texas, immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers.
- Use interpretation services appropriately.
- Provide gender-affirming and trauma-informed care within special populations.
- Use scientific literature effectively and apply findings in clinical settings.
- Recognize ethical concerns in global mental health partnerships.
- Build sustainable relationships with global partners.
- Develop programs and logic models and use qualitative and quantitative research methods in low-resource settings.
Experiences and Expectations
- A half-day elective rotation at the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tigua Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic or through a Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium program serving rural communities.
- Development of educational opportunities for community members and schools.
- Leadership of a quarterly journal club or presentation on global, rural or cultural mental health.
- Attendance at the annual Texas Tech Health El Paso Cultural Competency Conference.
- Training to conduct asylum evaluations for children, adolescents and adults through approved Physicians for Human Rights courses.
- Completion of a scholarly, quality improvement or community project suitable for conference presentation or publication.
Ready to Apply?
Review the eligibility, deadline and required materials for the Global and Rural Psychiatry Track.