About Us

About Us

Cleveland Clinic Akron General serves as the southern regional hospital for the Cleveland Clinic and our program is affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University (CCLCM) and Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). We serve as the primary medical student teaching site for Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), University of Toledo College of Medicine and the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OUH-COM). Our program combines the very best of a busy community hospital with strong academic affiliations.  

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has been in existence since 1956. The department consists of:

  • 2 acute care inpatient psychiatric units with 55 beds and approximately 2,000 admissions each year
  • A Consult Liaison and Emergency Psychiatry service that does 3,500 new evaluations per year
  • A fully supervised Outpatient Resident Clinic with approximately 22,000 visits annually
  • A Chemical Dependency service that sees 1,000 outpatient and group visits per year and
  • 2 intensive outpatient programs that sees over 1,000 per year

The department is currently staffed by 6 Psychiatrists, 4 Psychologists, 2 Neuropsychologists, 1 Psychometrist, 6 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (APPs), 8 LISWs and additionally, we have 2 additional Psychiatrists and 7 additional APRNs to assist with weekend coverage of the acute services.

About our Residency Program
The Cleveland Clinic Akron General Psychiatry Residency Program provides you with an outstanding on-the-job training experience in a rural hospital setting, superb mentorship and individualized education plans that will lay the foundation for the rest of your career. We offer our residents a rewarding and enriching training life to enhance the potential of becoming a skilled psychiatrist.

Highlights of our residency program include:
  • We are part of a world class healthcare system
  • We have dedicated and experienced teaching faculty
  • We have a comprehensive continuum of clinical care including inpatient, outpatient, consultation and liaison, emergency psychiatry, intensive outpatient programs and a chemical dependency program
  • We provide an excellent blend of educational, clinical, research, leadership and advocacy training
  • The trainees have the availability to work with the residents in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery and orthopedics training programs 
  • There is availability to interact with and teach medical students from multiple different medical schools
  • We provide excellent work-life balance during residency training
  • Akron is safe and affordable area to live and raise a family
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Welcome

Welcome

Dear Future Cleveland Clinic Akron General Psychiatry Resident,

Thank you for your interest in our psychiatry residency program which provides excellent clinical and academic training in a warm and collegial environment.

Our program received continued accreditation status ACGME and meets the requirements as outlined by the ACGME and is designed around the six core competencies and the psychotherapy competencies. The didactic curriculum is continuously revised to provide the latest in neuropsychiatry, psychotherapeutic interventions and socio-cultural topics in psychiatry.

The program provides opportunities to advance the resident’s knowledge of the basic principles of research including research design and methodology and how it is applied to patient care. Residents participate in scholarly activities which include, but are not limited to, original research, poster presentations, presenting a literature review in Journal Club and a clinical case for Grand Rounds. Residents provide lectures for the medical students, their peers and other health care staff. Residents are also encouraged to attend regional and national professional meetings and conferences.

At the completion of his/ her training, each resident physician will possess sound clinical judgment, requisite skills and a high order of knowledge about psychiatric disorders, in general, as well as medical and neurological disorders which relate to the practice of psychiatry. Cleveland Clinic Akron General provides a rich clinical training environment and dedicated teaching faculty to make this goal possible.

We are proud of the services we provide and the changes we make in people's lives. We believe that it is our commitment to compassionate and competent patient care and our dedication to excellence in resident education that makes Cleveland Clinic Akron General Psychiatry Residency Program a premier academic experience in the midst of a model medical community. I encourage you to review the information on our website and should you have any questions, please give us a call. I look forward to meeting you during the interview season.

Sincerely,

Silpa Balachandran, MD

Silpa Balachandran, MD
Interim Program Director 
330.344.4808

Lynn Mains

Lynn Mains
Program Manager
330.344.7639
MainsL@ccf.org

Clinical Rotations

Clinical Rotations

Clinical training overview

All PGY-1 residents will participate in didactic sessions covering essential information to familiarize them with Psychiatry at Cleveland Clinic Akron General. This training experience will provide the first-year residents with valuable knowledge and resources to aid in their development. Included in this training experience will be:

  • Interview skills
  • Mental status exam
  • Suicide risk assessment
  • Documentation
  • Professionalism
  • Mood disorders
  • Psychotic disorders
  • Dementia/Delirium
  • Substance abuse disorders
  • Introduction to Psychopharmacology
  • ECT/TMS

Clinical rotations

PGY – 1 year:

  • 6 months Inpatient Psychiatry
  • 4 months Medicine Rotations – Inpatient Family Medicine, Outpatient Family Medicine, Outpatient Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine
  • 2 months Neurology

PGY – 2 year:

  • 3 months Consult Liaison
  • 3 months Inpatient Psychiatry
  • 1 month Addiction Medicine****
  • 1 month ED Psychiatry
  • 2 months Child and Adolescent Psychiatry*
  • 1 month Community Psychiatry**
  • 1 month Forensics***

*Child and Adolescent Psychiatry will be held at Fairview Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department or Bellefaire JCB.

**Community Psychiatry will be at Portage Path Behavioral Health.

Since 1971, Portage Path has been a nonprofit community mental health center that helps area residents, regardless of their ability to pay, recover from mental illness and related substance use issues.  High quality services are partially paid for through insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, or under contract with the county of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board – Summit County ADM Board. Enhanced services and innovation are funded through private donations from individuals, companies, and foundations who care about the community.

***Forensics will be at Northcoast Behavioral Health.

****Addiction Medicine – ADRC will be 1 month at Lutheran Hospital.

PGY – 3 year

  • 12 months Adult Outpatient Psychiatry

PGY – 4 year

  • 3 months Consult Liaison – Jr. Attending
  • 3 months Inpatient Psychiatry – Jr. Attending
  • 3 months Interventional Psychiatry, and 3 months Electives.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General psychiatry resident on-call

PGY – 1

  • Night Float from 7p.m.-7a.m. Sunday through Thursday night. (2 weeks at a time, 6 months out of the year) Senior resident will be with them the first 2 months.
  • Sat/Sun/Holidays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (12 hours): inpatient teaching service admissions, follow-ups and discharges covered (Total 12 patients)
  • The same intern is scheduled to cover both Sat and Sun (and a holiday if that holiday falls within 2 days of the weekend they are already covering)
  • Current inpatients will be covered solely by the intern during their call while medical floor consults will be covered by the PGY-2 Resident.
  • Expectation that Resident may have to stay 1 additional hour post-call to finish with patient care and documentation

PGY – 2
  • Night Float from 7p.m.-7a.m. Sunday through Thursday night. (2 weeks at a time, 2 months out of the year) PGY-1 resident will be working alongside senior resident.
  • Sat from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday (24 hours): ED and CL service (Total 18 patients)
  • Sunday/Holidays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (15 hours): ED and CL (Total 12 patients)
  • Expectation that Resident may have to stay 1 additional hour post-call to finish with patient care and documentation

Education/didactic curriculum
  • Orientation to the Department of Psychiatry at Cleveland Clinic Akron General 
  • Medical and Psychiatric Practice Requirements
  • Medical Note Writing Skills
  • Psychiatric Interview Skills
  • Introduction to Psychopharmacology
  • Introduction to the DSM-5
  • Critical Appraisal Skills
  • Introduction to Psychotherapy
  • PRITE and Board Review
  • Introduction to Consultation Liaison and Emergency Psychiatry
  • Introduction to Geriatric Psychiatry
  • Introduction to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP)
  • Introduction to Community Psychiatry
  • Introduction to Forensic Psychiatry
  • Introduction to Addiction Psychiatry
  • Introduction to Sleep Medicine
  • Evaluation and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders
  • Advanced Psychotherapy Skills
  • Advanced Research Methods
  • Neurology for Psychiatrists
  • Neurobiology of Psychiatric Disorders
  • Advanced Psychopharmacology
  • Introduction to a Career and Leadership in Psychiatry
  • Psychiatric Genetics

Critical appraisal skills

In this seminar series, the residents will be taught skills to critically appraise journal articles to learn the correct information from these articles. Articles from leading journals will be picked by the instructors and provided to the residents 2 weeks in advance so that the residents have sufficient time to review these articles. Then the instructor will critically appraise the same article with residents in the teaching session.

Cinema and psychiatry

The residents will watch movies from different countries that have a psychiatry or psychology related themes. They will critically appraise these movies and discuss their perspective on these movies to learn about psychiatry and psychology in different cultures.

Introduction to research methods

This is a seminar series where the residents will become familiar with research methods in psychiatry. They will also be taught about biostatistics. Residents will be expected to participate in quality improvement (QI) projects, writing research/review papers and developing scientific presentations for both podium and poster presentations.

Grand rounds

The grand rounds series is the highlight of our department’s academic calendar. Nationally renowned speakers are invited to present lectures on special topics based on their areas of expertise. Residents are invited to meet with the speaker for 1.5 hours after the session to discuss their questions on the presented topic. 

Teaching Faculty

Teaching Faculty

Teaching faculty

Non-physician teaching faculty

Application

Application

Applications to the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Psychiatry Residency Program are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) only. For more information, visit the ERAS website. Specific questions about the program can be directed to the Program Coordinator.

We offer 4 PGY1 positions each academic year.

Application requirements:

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Medical School Transcript
  • Dean’s Letter
  • Minimum of 3 letters of recommendation. Two letters from psychiatrists within 1-year prior to the start date of residency. One letter must be from a psychiatrist within the United States showing experience/exposure to a US healthcare system.
  • Personal Statement
  • ECFMG certification (if applicable)

International applicants:

  • We offer both J-1 and H-1b visas for international applicants.
  • We are looking for candidates with psychiatry experience in the U.S. (e.g. Externship, Observership or Research; minimum of six months).
  • USMLE/COMLEX
  • Passing score on USMLE Step 1 and 2 or COMLEX. All applications are reviewed independently.
  • USMLE STEP 3 is not required for application or match but will be required for H1b visa sponsorship.

We prefer to review applications from recent medical school graduates, and no more than seven years since graduation.

Application deadline is December 1st of the year prior to start. We interview candidates on Wednesdays, November through January of the year prior to start.

For questions, contact Lynn Mains, program manager, at 330.344.7639 or MainsL@ccf.org.

Life in Akron has so much to offer! Learn more about Greater Akron.
Current Residents

Current Residents

PGY-1

Jasmine Issa, DO

Jasmine Issa, DO

Anureet Sekhon, MBBS

Anureet Sekhon, MBBS

Brian “Alex” Stanley, MD

Brian “Alex” Stanley, MD

Emily Turnquist, MD

Emily Turnquist, MD 

PGY - 2

Jonathan Evers, DO

Jonathan Evers, DO
Undergraduate: University of Minnesota
Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Poetry, writing, national parks exploration and the piano. 

Austin Krantz, MD

Austin Krantz, MD
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences
Interests/Hobbies: Playing the guitar, piano, collecting antiques, cinema and documentaries, hiking, photography, history, cooking and conservancy. 

Jonathan Sasse, MD

Jonathan Sasse, MD
Undergraduate: Case Western Reserve University
Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Interests/Hobbies: Coaching baseball, cooking, baking, playing with my pets, reading, dungeons and dragons and walking the Lake Metroparks. 

Alexander White, MD

Alexander White, MD
Undergraduate: Miami University 
Medical School: University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Sourdough baking, aviation and sighthounds. 

PGY - 3

Costanzo Filippo, DO

Costanzo Filippo, DO
Undergraduate: Thiel College
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie
Interests/Hobbies: I strive to be close to God and enjoy reading spiritual books, I occasionally write poetry, and I enjoy art museums, specifically abstract art.

Hyunyoung Kim, DO 

Hyunyoung Kim, DO
Undergraduate: Rochester Institute of Technology
Medical School: Lake Erie College
Interests/ Hobbies: Dance: I take classes daily through online studios, eating candy, playing video games, watching anime. 

Aiesha Polakampalli, DO
Aiesha Polakampalli, DO
Undergraduate: Ohio State
Medical School: Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests/ Hobbies: Gardening, Skateboarding this has been a fun way to exercise and meet new friends. Photography I have been experimenting with film, cameras, specifically with black and white film. Podcast “Call your Girlfriend is one of the many podcasts I enjoy.

PGY - 4

Gargi Bhattacharya, MD
Gargi Bhattacharya, MD
Undergraduate: Calcutta Medical College, Kolkata, India
Medical School: Kolkata Medical College & Hospital
Interests/ Hobbies: Love to sing and listen to music, Reading and explore works of new authors. Enjoy running and biking.

Paul Ferns, DO
Paul Ferns, DO
Undergraduate: University of Florida
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interest/ Hobbies: Hiking, Cooking, Cycling and Bird-watching

Lacey Jeong, MD
Lacey Jeong, MD
Undergraduate: Kent State University
Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Interest/ Hobbies: Making music with my brother, playing badminton with my Father, watching basketball with significant other, Journaling, Mindfulness Meditation.

Rameez Sultan, DO
Rameez Sultan, DO
Undergraduate: Temple University
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interest/ Hobbies: Reading Books and Participating in book clubs, DJ for friends, watching movie and sports.

Research & Innovation

Research & Innovation

Residents are required to participate in scholarly activity. This may include research or a presentation at a regional or national meeting – or a publication of a book chapter. In addition, each resident must complete a quality improvement (QI)/patient safety project. Residents will be expected to present at prestigious meetings such as the American Psychiatry Association (AMA), American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the Academy of Consult-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP).

Residents will be also be required to present Grand Rounds.

For more information about resident research in Psychiatry, please contact:

Estee George, PhD
Research Faculty
330.344.7681
GeorgeE4@ccf.org

Rachida Bouhenni, PhD
Health Scientist
330.344.6064
bouhenr@ccf.org