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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.

Meredith Alden, Ph.D., M.D. became Director of Resident Selection and Training in June of 2001. Dr. Alden is a graduate of the University of Utah psychiatry program and has been on clinical faculty since 1992. She has extensive experience in the public mental health system, having worked in three of the ten community mental health centers in the state. For five and a half years she served as Director of the Utah Division of Mental Health and is a past president of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. She has also served on the National Advisory Council of the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is currently the president of the Utah Psychiatric Association.