Emory / Psychiatry

Emory University Hospital

Our inpatient medical psychiatric unit is located at 1365 Clifton Road in the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine Building. This inpatient unit admits approximately 2,500 distinct patients per year. Along with routine psychiatric inpatient care, this staff is expert in refractory medical –psychiatric illness and clinical trials of novel psychopharmacological agents. There have been approximately 5 new inpatient trials/year on this unit. The unit serves as a primary training site for PGY-II residents, medical students and LCSW students.

Consultation-Liaison (C/L) Service of Emory University Hospital

Under the direction of Bernard Frankel, M.D., the Emory University Hospital C/L service has developed into a high-quality clinical service that provides teaching and training for psychiatry residents, family medicine residents and medical students. The service also provides consultation services for the 5 organ transplant programs within the Emory University Hospital system. Recent reorganization of the C/L service has resulted in several program improvements and expansions:

(a) The number of in-patient general consults now seen averages almost 3 per day. For in-patient transplantation-candidate consultations, the daily average has increased to about 4. As a reflection of the better working relationships we have developed with our transplantation colleagues, we have been invited to participate in some of their formal and informal teaching activities. In addition, a collaborative research protocol concerning liver transplant patients is in the early stages of planning.

(b) Over the past 2 years, there has also been a marked increase in consultations in cases of suspected non-epileptic seizures (NES), currently averaging about 2 per week. Because of the positive regard our neurological colleagues have for our efforts with their NES patients, they have recently mandated that our service be automatically called as soon as a patient with possible NES is admitted, rather than waiting until NES is confirmed by video-EEG monitoring. As with our liver transplant colleagues, we are in the early stages of developing with our NES colleagues a clinical research protocol involving this patient population.

(c) Transforming the general C/L outpatient program to a specialized one, we now provide clinical services, about 7 hours a week, to post-liver transplantation patients. In accordance with a well known principle of C/L work, these services are rendered in the post-liver transplant outpatient clinic (rather than a psychiatric clinic setting) so as to increase the receptivity to, and compliance with, such services, the need for which is significant. That setting also facilitates informal liaison teaching activities with the liver transplant nursing and medical staffs. The C/L activities in this setting are one component of the C/L electives for students and residents.

(d) In addition to C/L rounds, a weekly C/L seminar for the residents and students on the service has been established. Not only is their active participation in the discussions expected, but they are required to provide written answers to the written questions that are routinely assigned with the reading assignments.

(e) We are in the early stages of planning clinical and education services as part of the Psycho-Oncology Program of the Winship Cancer Institute which is described elsewhere in this report.

(f) Expansion of involvement of the C/L division with our colleagues in the Department of Otolaryngology has occurred by providing services to deaf patients who are being considered for cochlear implants. We are averaging about 1 such referral a month. Evaluations of patients participating in the Emory Reproductive Center’s in-vitro fertilization program, either as recipient- or donor-candidates is expanding as well. We are expecting a monthly average of about 4 cases.

(g) Both C/L attendings also have recently begun teaching 1st- and 2nd-year medical students in their problem-based learning course. The main goal is to help them learn to use the biopsychosocial model; secondary is to increase interest in psychiatry as a career.

(h) There has been a marked increase in the number of 4th-year students from other medical schools who have enrolled for an elective on our service.

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Clinical Sites Emory University Hospital
Atlanta VA Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Atlanta at Egleston Crawford Long Hospital Emory University Autism Center Emory University Hospital Grady Memorial Hospital Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital	Emory University Hospital Our inpatient medical psychiatric unit is located at 1365 Clifton Road in the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine Building. This inpatient unit admits approximately 2,500 distinct patients per year. Along with routine psychiatric inpatient care, this staff is expert in refractory medical –psychiatric illness and clinical trials of novel psychopharmacological agents. There have been approximately 5 new inpatient trials/year on this unit. The unit serves as a primary training site for PGY-II residents, medical students and LCSW students. Consultation-Liaison (C/L) Service of Emory University Hospital Under the direction of Bernard Frankel, M.D., the Emory University Hospital C/L service has developed into a high-quality clinical service that provides teaching and training for psychiatry residents, family medicine residents and medical students. The service also provides consultation services for the 5 organ transplant programs within the Emory University Hospital system. Recent reorganization of the C/L service has resulted in several program improvements and expansions: (a) The number of in-patient general consults now seen averages almost 3 per day. For in-patient transplantation-candidate consultations, the daily average has increased to about 4. As a reflection of the better working relationships we have developed with our transplantation colleagues, we have been invited to participate in some of their formal and informal teaching activities. In addition, a collaborative research protocol concerning liver transplant patients is in the early stages of planning. (b) Over the past 2 years, there has also been a marked increase in consultations in cases of suspected non-epileptic seizures (NES), currently averaging about 2 per week. Because of the positive regard our neurological colleagues have for our efforts with their NES patients, they have recently mandated that our service be automatically called as soon as a patient with possible NES is admitted, rather than waiting until NES is confirmed by video-EEG monitoring. As with our liver transplant colleagues, we are in the early stages of developing with our NES colleagues a clinical research protocol involving this patient population. (c) Transforming the general C/L outpatient program to a specialized one, we now provide clinical services, about 7 hours a week, to post-liver transplantation patients. In accordance with a well known principle of C/L work, these services are rendered in the post-liver transplant outpatient clinic (rather than a psychiatric clinic setting) so as to increase the receptivity to, and compliance with, such services, the need for which is significant. That setting also facilitates informal liaison teaching activities with the liver transplant nursing and medical staffs. The C/L activities in this setting are one component of the C/L electives for students and residents. (d) In addition to C/L rounds, a weekly C/L seminar for the residents and students on the service has been established. Not only is their active participation in the discussions expected, but they are required to provide written answers to the written questions that are routinely assigned with the reading assignments. (e) We are in the early stages of planning clinical and education services as part of the Psycho-Oncology Program of the Winship Cancer Institute which is described elsewhere in this report. (f) Expansion of involvement of the C/L division with our colleagues in the Department of Otolaryngology has occurred by providing services to deaf patients who are being considered for cochlear implants. We are averaging about 1 such referral a month. Evaluations of patients participating in the Emory Reproductive Center’s in-vitro fertilization program, either as recipient- or donor-candidates is expanding as well. We are expecting a monthly average of about 4 cases. (g) Both C/L attendings also have recently begun teaching 1st- and 2nd-year medical students in their problem-based learning course. The main goal is to help them learn to use the biopsychosocial model; secondary is to increase interest in psychiatry as a career. (h) There has been a marked increase in the number of 4th-year students from other medical schools who have enrolled for an elective on our service. General Information Education Faculty Research Clinical Sites Programs Home WebCT What's New