History of Department
The University of Utah's Department of Psychiatry was founded by Dr. C.H. Hardin Branch in 1948. Over the next several years, a number of psychiatrists were recruited and assisted Dr. Branch in establishing a variety of psychiatric facilities in Salt Lake City. In 1950, with the aid of the National Institute of Mental Health, a psychiatry residency training program was started. Today, the residency offers fully accredited programs leading to eligibility for certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition, a Triple Board Program in Child Psychiatry, Adult Psychiatry, and Pediatrics is offered for qualified individuals.
In July, 2007 chairman, Dr. William M. McMahon became the 4th chairman of the Department, succeeding Dr. Bernard Grosser. Dr. McMahon has served as General Psychiatry training director, Director of Research in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and as Principal Investigator for the Utah Autism Research Program. His research activities include the epidemiology, genetics and outcome of autism, genetics of Tourette¿s Disorder and genetics of other psychiatric disorders. He has served on steering committees for the Autism Genome Project and the Tourette Syndrome International Consortium for Genetics.
Roxanne Bartel M.D., became Director of Resident Selection and Training in 2009. Dr. Bartel is a graduate of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, a Harvard Medical School Residency Program. She completed fellowship training in addiction psychiatry. She has been full time clinical faculty at the University of Utah since 2003. She has worked in community mental health and specialized in treating persons who have severe and persistent mental illness. She is on the board of the Utah Psychiatric Association. Her main area of interest is resident education and curriculum development.